Life is set to change for companies in the coatings industry, especially in their R&D departments. It’s such a hot topic that Merit van de Lee of RheoCube and Ulf Stalmach of ORONTEC took a deeper look at some of the more pertinent issues. They looked at the tsunami of changes on the horizon for coatings companies and how technology can help them rise to the challenges ahead. Read below for some great insights that came out of that conversation.
If I was to look into the future, I see transparent labs, working off shared, open data, which is used to drive deep analysis and powerful simulations. I picture the model paint factory, focused on using data to supply the end user as best they can. This is more of a necessity than a dream actually. Up to now, only two metrics have been key in defining a product quality increases and price decreases. That, however, is set to change dramatically. For one, sustainability scores are being entered into legislation, which will affect how chemical supplies are purchased. No matter where materials are sourced from, the EU, Asia, or elsewhere, there will be a regulatory impact on any choices made.