LONDON - Manufacturers of coatings used in architectural applications are experiencing significant volume growth in the Western European market, but paint and coatings demand in general is projected to post only modest gains in the next several years, a newly issued market report concludes. "A Profile of the Western Europe Paint Industry," from Information Research Ltd., London, projects total coatings demand of 6.43 million metric tons in 2004, with that figure edging up to 6.81 million mt by 2009 "if average growth of 1.1% per year can be achieved."

Architectural uses are described as "very much the current motor of growth" for the coatings industry in Western Europe, a situation that bodes well for suppliers of decorative, protective, coil and powder coatings used for architectural applications, the report says. Decorative coatings are reported to account for 62% of the total market, at slightly less than 4 million mt.

The report focuses in particular on the decorative, protective and marine coatings sectors, and includes sections on mergers and acquisitions; coatings markets in the top five countries, the Benelux region, Scandinavia, and other countries; future directions; and a directory of coatings manufacturers. More information is available from the website at www.informationresearch.co.uk.