Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 249

CLIPPING 6 | PAINT&PINTURA | Novembro 2019 In the last quarter of 2019, the paint and coatings industry got a something of a boost from Abrafati 2019, which took place on October 1st through 3rd at São Paulo Expo. The industry’s largest event in Latin America conveyed a very positive outlook for the market as a whole. Those who attended and were part of that event witnessed thousands of professionals looking for informa- tion and for new products. Altogether, the trade showwas attended by 13,000 peoplewhowere able to visit 237 booths of companies from various parts of the world and towatch 150 technical presentations by experts of great renown. It was a great opportunity for networking, striking strategic alliances and generating, thus propelling the coatings industry to growth. In addition, you would hear a lot about sustainability all the time, which was, in fact, one of the key words at Abrafati 2019. The industry’s agenda increasingly reflects concerns about this issue, and the latest innovations developed in line with that trend were on display. After day three wrapped up and I had the opportunity to talk to leaders of major companies in the industry, I concluded the event made people more hopeful. From day one, the booths were always packed with people. Several deals were closed on the spot, and many others lined up for the next few days, and the atmosphere of excitement was intoxicating. The show did accomplish its mission of bringing goods news to the industry. Abrafati executive president Antonio Carlos deOliveira stressed how happy he was with the outcome of Abrafati 2019. “The result of all this interaction is going to be a stronger, more dynamic, more up- -to-date and more sustainable industry that can find answers to the demands and challenges that keep coming up in the ever-changing environment we live in today. That was just the role played by ABRA- FATI 2019: boosting this growth and development process,” he said. The month of October also saw two other important award presen- tations. Onewas the 31st Sitivesp Supplier of the Year Awards, which honored the best suppliers of packaging and raw materials to the paint and coatings industry, according to a vote held on October 16 and followed by the announcement of winners in nine categories. The other one was the 5th Steel Packaging Awards held by Abe- aço, where I had the honor of being awarded in the “Prominent Journalist” category for my piece titled “Environmental Benefits,” which was published in July’s issue number 245. For that piece, I’d interviewed Abeaço’s president Thais Fagury, who talked about the advantages of using steel packaging materials and all the work being done by Prolata, a program to foster the recycling of empty steel cans, spreading benefits all over Brazil. It was a really rewar- ding experience to be able to contribute as a journalist, sharing this information with the entire industry and, to top it off, gaining recognition for the work I do with great dedication through Paint & Pintura Magazine, an outlet that I have the enormous pleasure to have been part of for many years. Many thanks to Abeaço and the whole industry for the recognition. You made me extremely happy! The event also honored the best steel cans introduced in the past two years in seven categories. Check out the winners of the two award ceremonies on the coming pages. Lucélia Monfardini BETTER OMENS ARISE IN LATE 2019 MONOMERS - MARKET ANNOUNCES TRENDS IN FUNCTIONAL MONOMERS The paint and coatings industry in Brazil and worldwide has seen a growing de- mand for products that minimize impacts on health and the environment. In this context, the constant search for quality and innovation, both in inputs and services provided, is fundamental for achieving consistent and sustainable successes. Monomers, in general, aremature techno- logies that offer proven benefits for paint formulations, and, therefore, there is little room for disruptive product innovations in this area, according to Marcelo Natal, chief sales officer at Unigel. “However, it is still possible to innovate in process reliability, in ensuring raw materials are used that are tested and approved by global control organizations, in the diver- sification of locally available portfolios (allowing awider range of possibilities for formulators) and in service excellence.” The choice of monomer is key to the final performance and competitiveness of paints. Currently, the basic requirements frompaint manufacturers should be relia- bility in supplying products featuring good performance at competitive costs. “Paint manufacturers are looking for suppliers who can reliably supply competitively-pri- ced acrylicmonomers, whomeet not only their current requirements, but also future ones. BASF, for example, is introducing to themarket two special acrylicmonomers: TBA, for acrylic emulsions and dispersions for the acrylic paint segment; and BEPG- MA, for associative acrylic thickeners for the water-based paint segment. They rely on their suppliers’ experience with product quality and safety issues. At BASF, we have a wide range of acrylic and me- thacrylicmonomers, plus a technical team ready to meet those needs and also help our customers reduce the overall cost of their formulations,” says Valter Milani, senior sales manager for petrochemicals. OXYGENATED SOLVENTS - HIGHER SOLVENT POWER, LOWER TOXICITY Enhanced performance combined with good cost-benefit ratios and growing sustainability are the chief requirements in the oxygenated solvent market. Suppliers of oxygenated solvents have developed significantly over the past several years, adopting new technologies and adding