The global coatings and paints market reflects growing demand for products and applications based on renewable resources. The same can be said about more energy- and resource-efficient pathways, processes, and applications. Working closely with its customers, CA provides real solutions.

"The European Coatings Show 2011 was a smashing success for our unit Protective Coatings & Inks. We spoke to a large number of existing customers, but also met with many new interested people," reports Oliver Marx, who is with the Coating Resins Product Lines Technical Service Department for Coatings & Inks. The various packaging application products that were introduced here drew the most attention. Especially those products for hot-stamping applications, which is a special printing process, but also the new DEGALAN 1040 L by Coating Resins, offer outstanding adhesion on flexible PET substrates.

"The countless conversations we had with trade show visitors revealed a huge market interest in polyesters for food packaging," says Rainer Spittka of Coating Resins Technical Service Department for Pre-Coated Metal. "Our experience at ECS 2011 was exciting and interesting."

Approximately one-third of all weatherproof powder coatings have a matte appearance. Such surfaces are popular in the automotive, architecture, and electronics sectors and can now be achieved more easily with a new hardener. This is supplemented by numerous other products that offer improved performance and are easier on the environment or more cost-effective.

The ECS again underscored the strong demand for renewable resources in the chemical industry, not to mention in the adhesives and sealants industries. Encouraged by this situation, the Adhesive Resins Product Line is expanding its modular DYNACOLL 7000 system with polyester made from renewable resources. In addition to a "green component," experts made it a point to achieve comparable, or even superior, product properties compared to the existing product portfolio.

Visitors to the key European trade show were equally interested in the Groups TEGO products, which include additives, specialty binders, and co-binders. The newly published reference book "The Little Tego" with its convenient format was a particular hit. The Coatings Additives Business Line also used the trade show as a valuable PR opportunity to announce the acquisition of the hanse chemie Group and the takeover of some products from their portfolio.

In addition to high-value components and raw materials for sealants and adhesives, as well as molding and casting compounds, the hanse chemie Group also manufactures innovative nanomaterials. These silicate-based nanocomposites, as well as additional specialty products by nanoresins AG, which is also part of the hanse chemie Group, will now be used in highly scratch-resistant coatings, adhesives, fiber composite materials, and casting materials.

Attendees also discussed the announcement made at the trade show that Evonik has decided to build new production facilities for isophorone and isophorone diamine in Shanghai by 2013. Evonik is the only company worldwide to produce and market the entire isophorone chemicals chain. The company now plans to strengthen this position by building a new world-scale facility and expanding its global production network with a site in Asia. Isophorone, isophorone diamine, isophorone diisocyanate, and their derivatives are essential components for producing industrial flooring, synthetic leather, and coatings and paints. Isophorone, isophorone diamine, isophorone diisocyanate and their derivatives are essential components for the production of industrial floors, synthetic leather, and coatings and paints.