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