CLIPPING
duetothemigrationfromthesolvent-basedtothewater-based
technology, where using these additives is indispensable to
producingqualitypaints,accordingtoMarlonBraidott,technical
consultantonadditivestoBASFforSouthAmerica.“However,
duetothemorecriticaleconomicsituation,thishasbeenayear
ofveryslowgrowthforusconsideringthepotentialoftheaddi-
tivessegment.Oncetheeconomybouncesback,thatpotential
will increasewithoutadoubt.”
In theopinionof CarlosRamiro, technical serviceandapplica-
tionsmanager at Elementis Specialties for LatinAmerica, the
slowdownofBrazil’seconomy isgoingtohaveadirect impacton
thesupplychainsofall industries.“Unfortunately,thedefoamer
businesswon’tescape thisdownturn in themarketplace.Asa
direct result, thedemand for increasinglymoreefficientprod-
ucts that enable formulation cost reductions isgrowingmore
andmore.Forthisreason,Elementishasbeenpromotingmore
efficientproductsthatallowforsmallerdosages intheBrazilian
market. Theyare indeedhighlyefficientproducts thatemploy
the latest foamsuppression technologies.”
Since all prognoses point to a year of slow growth, El-
ementis has adopted a strategy of setting itself apart in
themarketplace through a differentiated technical sup-
portprogram, according toRamiro. “Thepursuitof total
customersatisfactionwillbe thekey tosurvival inaslow-
growthmarket. For example, cost reduction programs
willbeput inplacemoreandmoreoften,andElementis is
going topresent itself as the ideal partnerwithwhom to
facethesechallengesthroughourcomprehensiveproduct
portfolio, combinedwithourapplication laboratories.By
tackling the challenge and introducing innovative solu-
tions, we expect to leverage our sales in an evenmore
competitivemarket.”
AccordingtoLíviadeFreitasSandovalFaganello,technical
assistantatMiracema-Nuodex, sustainable, environmen-
tally friendly products are the future of this business.
“Whilemineral oil-based defoamers are still extensively
used, there’s an international trend towards migrating
to vegetal oil-based, water-based or low-VOC products.
