The European Coatings Show and Congress were held in mid-March in Nürnberg, Germany. The Show featured 962 exhibitors from 42 countries in seven exhibition halls and 26,000 trade visitors from more than 100 nations. Europe’s biggest coatings congress attracted more than 650 participants from 37 countries. This year’s Show and Congress clearly showed that sustainability is a major innovation driver for the coatings industry. There is a big demand for coatings that help to reduce energy consumption, and for raw materials that lower VOC levels and are renewable or bio-based.
The exhibitors presented a whole spectrum of innovations on the market, from new raw materials for coatings, printing inks and adhesives; laboratory and production equipment; to the latest technologies for testing and measurement. I had the opportunity to sit down with several industry suppliers, and the following is just a sampling of the technology available at the Show.