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| Paint&pintura |Agosto2014
facturers’ and thepaintmanufacturers’ sides, reflecting
the importanceofmineraladditives inpaintandcoatings
formulations.
“For quite a few years now havemineral additives not
been known as just ‘mineral fillers’, as the industry cur-
rently recognizes the functional role theyplay in formu-
lations, solvingproblemswith themostvaryingdegrees
ofcomplexityandthusaddingfunctionalvaluetopaints.
Imeryshasplayedadecisiverole inthisprocess,as itwas
thereatall stagesof innovation inthissegment,andwas
in fact thefirst company tobring theconceptof slurries
to Brazil. After that, we introduced a revolution in the
marketplacebybringing inpre-dispersed,multi-mineral
formulations.More recently,wegained the largest spe-
cialtychemicalsplatform inBrazil throughouracquisition
of Itatex, currently known as Imerys Itatex Soluções
Minerais,whichhasmore than200products in itsactive
portfolio, 60 percent of which for the paint industry.
Thesenumbers bolster our leadershipposition andour
commitment to further the development of mineral
additives for the paint market,” says Leandro Rocha,
InnovationR&Dmanager for SouthAmerica, Imerys.
Eachyear, evolution in themarket formineral additives
ispushedby thepaint industry,where technologiesand
controlsplayan increasinglybigrole.“Forus,assuppliers
of importantcomponentsoftheendproduct,weneedto
beconstantlyevolving. Therewerea few typesofpaint
in the past. Today there’s an endless range of options,
fromwhichstemstheneedtoconstantlyevolve.Besides,
oncemineral fillersceased toplay just a supporting role
inpaint formulationsandbecameoneof theprimary in-
gredients,wearerequiredto improveconstantlynotonly
in researchanddevelopment, but also inmoremodern,
differentiated forms of beneficiation, providing custo-
merswithveryhighquality,world-classproducts,” says
Brasilminas’ salesdirectorMarceloMonacodaCunha.
Slurry - ADevelopingMarket
As a performance-enhancing alternative for paints and
coatings, slurries have displayed considerable growth
inBrazil thanks to a series of benefits and advantages,
suchasgreaterhidingpower, effective titaniumdioxide
extension,washability, highyield inpaints, etc.
Agrowingmarket inBrazil,slurrieshavebeenconsumed
moreandmoreoverthepastfewyearsduetoseveral factors.
“One such factor is the organic growth of themarketplace.
Also, when paint manufacturers use slurries, they can ex-
pand their capacitywithoutmaking any investment and in a
more sustainablemanner. One other factor contributing to
increased consumption is that manufacturers that still use
conventionaldispersionsystemsarereconfiguringtheirplants
for total orpartial useof slurries,which involvesgradual, de-
finitiveadjustments to their facilities,due to thebenefits that
this system provides, which are recognized andmeasurable
fromtheexperienceusingthemovertheyears,”saysEmerson
Delegá, salesmanager atSibelco.
Providingagreatopportunityforgrowthandexpansion,slur-
ries are still a rising technology inBrazil. “There’s a growing
demand,which isbasicallyaresultof thesearch for improved
productivityandmoreenvironmentalsustainability inthepro-
ductionofpaints, asaqueousdispersionsgeneratenowaste
from theirpackaginganddon’tproliferateparticleemissions
intotheatmosphere,”saysLeandroRocha, Imery’s Innovation
R&Dmanager for SouthAmerica.
Colorants -MoreOptions inVibrantColors
Themarket has been adheringmore andmore to colorants
fortintingsystemduetotheirvariousdifferentcoloroptions,
quality, durability, strength, low environmental impact, and
more sustainable solutions.
Agrowingmarket inBrazil, colorants for tinting systems are
increasinglypopular in theBrazilianmarket, especiallydue to
their numerous color options, quality control, and accurate
color reproducibility. However, there still is a lot of room for
thismarkettoexpand.“Tintingsystemsfirstbecameavailable
in Brazil in the early 1990’s, and they continue growing and
expanding theirmarket share. Allmajorpaintmanufacturers
have tinting systems today.However, there’s still a longway
togobefore tinting system reach the level of penetration in
points of sales they are at in the United States. There, the
productionof colorsatpointsof saleaccounts formore than
90 percent of all sales,” says Robert Poemer, manager of
Forscher’sbusinessunit.
According to Cesar Mattos, regional manager at Clariant’s
TintingSystemsLatam,companiesarefinding inthesesystems
theversatilitytheyneedtoprovideconsumerswithmorecolor
options.“Thisall followingmarkettrendswithoutnecessarily
increasingfinishedproduct inventories.”
