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| PAINT&PINTURA |Março2016
INVESTMENTSBOOST THE INDUSTRY
This issuebringsyounewsonkey rawmaterials formanu-
facturingpaintsandcoatings,suchasalkydresins,corrosion
inhibitors, and titanium dioxide. It also shows that even
thoughthe industry isfeelingthedownturnstemmingfrom
theeconomiccrisis,companiesarestayinginlinewithglobal
trends, as they have been introducing the best options
around in terms of products boasting an environmental
appeal,highperformance,andpositivecost-benefitratios.
Providingcustomerswith thebest solutionhasbecomea
priority inthepaintandcoatings industry.Accordingly,com-
panieswon’t refrain frommaking investments to improve
theirexistingproductsanddevelopnew rawmaterials. In
addition,massive investmentsarealsobeingmade in ser-
vices, creatingpointsofdifference tomeeteachdifferent
typeof customerneeds. It iswith initiatives suchas these
thatthepaint industry isbeinggivenaboost.
One other highlight in this issue is our interviewwith
CovestroCEO forLatinAmericaHaraldLiedtke. This is the
firstinterviewhehasgiventoPaint&PinturaMagazinesince
last year’s announcement of the new identity of former
BayerMaterialScience.Thecompanycontinuestobankon
thedevelopmentofproductsandsolutions,andtoinvestac-
cordingly,upholdingsustainabilityasoneof itscorevalues.
“The company’s projects and investments are always
designed inaglobalmanner. Around900 researchersare
atworkat Covestro’s innovation centers inGermany, the
United States andAsia.Wework on a series of projects,
alwaysaimingtoreduce impactsonsocietyandtheenviron-
ment.Anexampleofthat istheworkwedo inpartnership
with theautomotive industry. In themid-term future, the
industrywill benefit from theability topaintplastic,metal
andcompositeparts inone line.Thatwillsupportthetrend
towardsreducingnotonlyweight incardesign,butalsothe
carbonfootprintofautomobileproduction.Otherexamples
ofglobalprojectsarethoseaimedattheuseofalternative
rawmaterials,suchascarbondioxide,toproducepolyolsand,as
aresult, foams,”saystheCEO.Readthefull interview(available
inPortugueseonly)onthe followingpages.
Paint & Pinturamagazine also brings you a commemorative
pieceonthe150yearsofexistenceofthepaintcompanyAxalta
(established in 1866),whichhas 13,000employeesand 120,000
customers in 130 countries, andpromises to continuedevelop-
ing its advanced coating technologies. In it, the company also
announces that it has accelerated its investments to expand
productioncapacity inGermany,Brazil,China,Mexicoand India,
that ithasanewGlobal InnovationCenterunderconstruction in
Philadelphia,PA(USA),andthat ithasstartedconstructiononan
Asia-Pacifictechnologycenter inChina.Allofthese initiatives,as
well as thevarious improvementsbeingmade incolor technol-
ogy,arefocusedondoingagood jobofmeetingcustomerneeds
inthe future.
Theseare justthekindofnewswewanttokeeponpublishing in
ourmagazine.Themarketcannotgrindtoahalt,andallofthese
initiativesdemonstratetheeffortsanddedicationeachcompany
is investing inpursuitofgrowth inthe industry.
Enjoy!
LucéliaMonfardini
INTERVIEW - A NEW IDENTITY, BUTWITH THE SAME
PRINCIPLES
Covestrokeepsonbankingonthedevelopmentofproducts
andsolutionsandinvestingaccordingly,havingsustainability
asoneof itsmainpillars.
OnSeptember1stoflastyear,Bayerannouncedthatthenew
nameofitsMaterialSciencebusinesswouldbeCovestro.The
nameCovestro ismadefromacombinationofwordsthatreflect
the identityof thenewcompany.The lettersCandOcome from
collaboration,whileVEST signifies the company iswell invested
instate-of-the-artmanufacturingfacilities.Thefinal letters,STRO,
showthecompany isstrong.
Covestro iscurrentlyoneoftheworld’s leadingpolymermanufac-
turers,andeventhoughitislegallyandeconomicallyindependent,
