CLIPPING
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| PAINT&PINTURA |Dezembro2016
attributestoacrylicresinswithaviewto increasinglymeeting
andexceedingcustomerexpectationsandrequirements.
Themarket inacrylic resinshas indeed felt theeffectsof the
recessionthisyear,but ithasn’tdwelled in it,havingstayedthe
coursewithnewdevelopments,productperformanceenhan-
cement,sustainablesolutions,etc.“Brazilhasaverycompetitive
acrylicresinmarket.Drivenby itsunfavorablemacroeconomic
environment, we looked at themarket from a short-term
perspectiveand found that customersareseeking innovative
performance solutions thatwill improvecost-benefit ratios in
current formulationsand increase thefinal yieldof thepaints
andcoatingstheyuse.Inthemidandlongterms,webelievethat
emphasiswillbeplacedonemulsionsfeaturingnewproperties,
suchas early rain resistance, dirt pick-up resistance, andhigh
hidingpower,aswellassustainability, inthe formofVOC-free
productstheuserawmaterialsfromrenewablesources,accor-
dingtoCarolineReggianedaSilva,ofBASF’stechnicalsupport
forpaintandconstructiondispersions,resinsandadditives.
Suppliershavebeen innovatingwithresinsfeaturing improved
performanceintermsofwashability,adhesiontomorecomplex
substrates,suchasmetals(usinghybridresins),weatherability
andUV-resistance. There isalsoaconstantdemand for resins
thatwillsupportgreaterquantitiesoffillers,and improveboth
dryingandfilmformation,accordingtoCarbono’sdevelopment
directorRodrigoGabriel.“Innovations likethesealwaysreflect
intheenduseof thepaintandwindupprovidingsustainable,
impacting gains in yield. However, themarket is extremely
price-oriented today, causing these innovations to just sit on
theshelvesforawhile.”
GabrielalsoremarksthatCarbonoofferstheCarbocrylDMVline,
designedfortheproductionofroad-markingpaints.“Ourresin
impartstothepaintallofthepropertiesneededtoachievethe
performance levelsrequiredbyABNTstandards,whichgovern
qualitystandardsforthesepaints.”
Acrylicresinsformareallyvastsegmentandaremultifunctional
intermsofbothapplicationsandmarketscovered,whichiswhy
theytendtofluctuatebyspecificsegment,accordingtoPaulo
RobertoVieiraJunior,PhD,AllnexBrazil’stechnologydirectorfor
LatinAmerica.“Acrylicresinsfordecorativeandautomotiveco-
atingsexperiencedthemostfluctuationandvolatility,following
the trends in thesemarketsegments,whichhavebeengoing
throughquiteaturbulentperiod.Becausetheindustrialsegment
isbroader intermsofapplicationsandendusers, ithasbeena
littlemorestableontheaveragesince,ontheonehand,while
someparticularmarketshaveseen retraction (suchasheavy-
-duty andmaritime coatings), others havedisplayed abetter
behavior(suchasprotectivecoatings).Packagingcoatingshave
beenthebest-performingsegmentand,asaresult,acrylicresinsfor
thisapplication,whichareconsideredspecialtychemicals,havealso
shownagoodbehavior.”
AnaClaudia Sturaro, product steward for Evonik’sDegalan lineof
resins, says they realize thecustomersare looking for technologies
thatwill favor thedevelopment of products that deliver improved
performanceandquality,whilemeetingenvironmentalrequirements
throughenvironment-friendlierand lesspollutingproducts.“Invest-
mentinresearchandnewproductdevelopmentisongoingatEvonik,
leadingourcompanytokeepanextensiveportfolioalwaysintunewith
the latesttechnologicalbreakthroughs inthe industry.Ourgoal isto
anticipatecustomerneedsasawayof introducinguniquesolutions,
withbroadtechnicalsupporttogowiththem.”
THICKENERS -MARKETCONTINUESONTHERISE
Directlyrelatedtokeyrequirementsofthepaintandcoatingsindustry,
suchtherheologyoftheendproduct,easeofuse,waterresistance
andpositivecost-benefitratios,thickenersrepresentaverypromising
marketdespitethecurrenteconomiccrisis,whichformulationsfocu-
sedonhigh-performancedevelopmentsanddedicated tomeeting
customerneeds.
Thickeners are ingredients that impartmany important properties
topaint formulations. For this reason, they representacategoryof
rawmaterials that remains on the rise in spiteof the tough times
broughtaboutbyBrazil’seconomiccrisis. “The rangeofproperties
deliveredby thickeners is a rather far-rangingone. Besides adding
viscosity(highand lowshearrates), theprovidesuchotherbenefits
as improvingwater resistance, easy incorporation into the system
andeasyhandlingduringpaint production, amongothers. To that
point, theproducts fromour familyofurethanethickenersnotonly
provide thosebenefits, butalso improvewaterabsorption, spatter
resistanceandfinishquality inpaintsduringapplication,whilebeing
easytohandleatanystageoftheproductionprocessanddisplaying
greatperformance inwaterbornecoatings,”saysAromat’stechnical
managerFernandoRosa.
Tocopewithglobalizationandanever-changingworld,thedemand
for innovationsgrows rapidly, and tokeepupwith that,businesses
invest inperformanceproducts thatdeliver results fasterwhile im-
provingperformanceinthisindustry,accordingtoRafaelaYkko,sales
manager at Additiva. “There’s also anongoing concern about the
environment,whichmanifests itself intheappealofenvironmentally
sustainableproducts.Inaddition,customersarelookingforsolutions
toenrichtheirfinalproductsandcontributetotheirhighperformance,
allwithoutprejudice toaffordability. Accordingly, thickenersplaya
significant role indelivering those resultsas rheologyagents,which
buildhomogeneityandfacilitateapplication.”
Thickenersareevolvingintoproductsthatcansignificantlychangethe
