The 2018 American Coatings Conference kicked off Monday in Indianapolis. European Coatings Journal Editor, Dr. Sonja Schulte, began the conference with a live, automated survey of the delegates. The questions involved topics such as the technologies and markets coatings companies find most important, drivers for R&D, hot topics and regulations. Following are the results of the survey.
1. What are the most important markets for you?
67% North America
17% Asia Pacific 8% Western Europe
5% South and Central America
2% Eastern Europe
1% Africa
2. Which of the following technologies do you judge as the most important future technologies in your industry sector?
53% Waterborne
22% Functional/smart
14% High-solid
6% UV/EB
5% Powder
3. What drives your R&D activities?
57% Customer request
13% Cost reduction
13% Sustainability
10% Legislation and regulation
7% Raw material availability
4. What is the hottest topic on your current agenda?
33% Customer demands
30% Identifying new markets
24% Raw material prices and availability
7% Fulfillment of regulations
6% Automation/digitization of production processes
5. Which of the following regulations is currently most important for your company?
60% VOC
21% Labeling and hazard communication
14% Food contact
5% Indoor air quality
