clipping
products, andenhancedproduct performance, efficiencyand functio-
nality.Thesearesomeofthebenefitsandfeatures inwhichsuppliersof
rawmaterialsare investingtofavorevolutionandgrowth inthebiocide
market.
Biocidesareindispensablerawmaterialsinpaintformulations.“Biocides,
whetheron thepackagingordryfilm,provideprotection fromprolife-
rationofmicroorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and algae). Themarket for
biocides isproportional to theproductionofpaintsandcoatings. And
Brazil’smanufacturingsectorat large isexperiencing lowgrowthrates,
as familiesconsume lessdue to increaseddebt,whichcontributes toa
downturn inconsumptionofconstructionproducts, thusaffecting the
paintmarket.However,there isaconstantdemandforbiocidesfornew
applications, as the industry isconstantlydeveloping, and thedemand
also followsproductiontends,”saysLuisGustavoLigere,Lanxesssales
coordiantorforSouthAmerica.
AccordingtoAiltonRibeiro,fieldmanageratAlcolina’sindustrialdivision,
themarket isontheriseandopentonew,moreefficienttechnologies.
“In2014, smartmoleculeshavebeen introducedwithnotonlyact ina
broaderspectrum,butalsoenhancethepropertiesofstandardproducts.
Paintmanufacturersaredefinitivelyintroducingencapsulatedmolecules
intheirformulations,whichmakesforenhancedtechnologicalefficiency
andbetter results in long-termweather exposure. New specifications
havecausedthedemandto increase.Butthemostcreditforgrowth in
thismarket,withoutadoubt,goes to the increasedappreciation
oftheproductsandhighertechnologythatmanufacturersandfor-
mulatorsput intothem,whichhas leadtogrowth inthe industry’s
volumesandrevenues,”Ribeirosays.
Themarketforpaintbiocides isexpectedtoexperiencegrowthof
around4percent,andoneofthechallengesfacingthe industry is
thecompetitionwithimportsfromChina,accordingtoMarciaRegi-
naRios,Clariant’sindustrialapplicationmanagerforLatinAmerica.
“Thepaintpreservativemarket is inatechnologicaldevelopment
processwhereproductsthataremoreharmfultohumans,suchas
formaldehyde,arebeinggraduallyreplacedbyfriendliersolutions.
Obviously,thisprocessisalsoachallengefromaproductperforman-
cepointofview,ascontrollingmicroorganismsrequiresutilization
ofdifferentpreservationstrategiesandproducts.”
AdditiveBlends -Unity isStrength
Suppliersof rawmaterials are investing inanewwayof further
facilitating themanufactureofpaints: usingadditiveblends that
provideaseriesofadvantagesandbenefitstomanufacturers.
Additiveblendsareanewdevelopmentforthepaintandcoatings
industry, andwhile spreading slowly, they have already gained
groundamongpaintmanufacturers. In somepaints, achievinga
goodcoatingperformancerequiressynergiesbetweenadditives,
