During Monday’s Plenary Session, Dr. Sonja Schulte, Editor in Chief of the European Coatings Journal, invited attendees to participate in a live survey involving key coatings industry issues, including market focus, future technologies, R&D activities and sustainability. Roughly 140 people participated in the survey, and were able to give more than one answer for each question, so the totals may add up to more than 100%. Results are below.

What are currently the most important markets for you?

Western Europe: 67%

North America: 34%

Asia-Pacific: 33%

South America: 8%

Africa: 1%

What are the most interesting future markets in your opinion?

Asia-Pacific: 67%

Western Europe: 30%

North America: 27%

South America: 19%

Eastern Europe: 12%

Africa: 7%

Which of the following do you regard as the most important future technologies in your industry sector?

Waterborne: 65%

Functional/smart: 47%

High-solid: 19%

UV/EB: 16%

Powder: 11%

Other: 4%

What drives your R&D activities?

Customer requests: 63%

Market competition: 39%

Sustainability: 30%

Legislation and regulations: 28%

Cost reduction: 26%

Short supply of raw materials: 8%

What drives your activity in sustainability?

Responsibility for our planet and mankind: 56%

Customer demand: 46%

Competitiveness: 27%

We have no activity in sustainability: 6%

Which of the following regulations is currently most important for your company?

REACH: 68%

Biocide directive: 26%

Eco-Label: 23%

Food contact: 19%

CLP: 9%

Cobalt replacement: 2%