SHANGHAI — The trial version of COATINGCAT, a one-stop digital coating solution platform co-created by Covestro, BYK and Hexion, was launched recently under the motto “Digital Future, Accelerating Your Innovation.” Built on an in-depth understanding of the needs of local coating manufacturers, the trial version is open to professionals throughout the coating industry for their insight and feedback. The COATINGCAT platform was initiated with the aim to create synergies along the value chain and to provide coatings manufacturers with cutting-edge knowledge and formulations for fast product development and market launches. It serves to address the recent trend for sustainable development and digital transformation in China.

With over 10,000 coating companies, China has reportedly become the largest coatings market in the world. In 2020, the annual production of China’s coatings industry was 24.59 million tons, up 2.6% year-over-year from 2019. China made a pledge in 2020 to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The coatings industry has responded actively to this by championing green and low-carbon technologies. It is important for coating manufacturers to optimize their supply chain and embrace sustainability in order to out-compete their peers.

The continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to a more digitalized customer journey in the B2B industry. Coating professionals are becoming more familiar with searching for and sourcing raw materials online – something that has become the new norm in recent years. At the same time, China’s emphasis on industrial digitization in its 14^th Five-Year Plan also provides ongoing, top-level policy support for vertical digital platforms and digital transformation at industrial companies. Compared with traditional e-commerce platforms, COATINGCAT it is designed to be a more focused, professional and differentiated platform with excellent technical service capabilities.

In response to the trend for sustainability, the suppliers and total solutions available on COATINGCAT provide coatings manufacturers with a fast track to accelerated innovation. By connecting raw material and technology suppliers with coatings manufacturers online, COATINGCAT promotes knowledge sharing, technology exchange and business cooperation along the industry chain, helping companies improve procurement efficiency and obtain faster, more cutting-edge and comprehensive products and technical supports. With the help from COATINGCAT, companies can address technological pain points, drive product innovation and improve business efficiency.

Among COATINGCAT’s features are specialized formulations and consulting, sample requests, customized solutions and more. Formulations and technologies cover automotive, railway and bus, ACE, wood and furniture, construction, and other applications. Coating customers are able to not only browse formulations online for their market segments, but also submit their needs and questions, which will be answered by dedicated technical R&D staff. Coating customers are given access to a smooth and reliable digital platform where they are able to easily go through the whole buying journey, from collecting information and finding solutions, through requesting samples, testing and trial production, and finally to the procurement process. In addition, COATINGCAT collects valuable feedback from users to further optimize the platform’s functions and models, providing users with products and services that better meet their needs.

“Amidst rapid changes in the coating market, we intend to reduce costs and increase efficiency for players in the Chinese coating industry by creating a full-cycle digital service process. COATINGCAT hopes that more excellent raw material and technology suppliers can join the platform to build a digital innovation ecosystem. Through COATINGCAT, raw material and technology suppliers can reach their coating customers more efficiently and provide them with quality and reliable products and solutions,” said Jin Feng, head of COATINGCAT.

The platform enables suppliers to collaborate on technology R&D and allows experts in different categories to work together on technical pain points. It also provides innovative technical solutions and helps to develop a wider range of applications for platform users.

Currently, coating manufacturers can register as users at COATINGCAT (www.coatingcat.com). Raw material and technology suppliers, R&D institutions, testing firms, and industry organizations can also contact COATINGCAT to apply for admission. 

For more information, visit www.coatingcat.com.