As one of the mature powder coatings markets, North America has struggled in recent years to maintain its momentum. With the market having stagnated since 2000, can it regain the growth levels seen in the 1980s and 1990s?

  • In 2004, the powder coatings market in North America (U.S. and Canada) was around 440 M lb, or 200,000 tons, and valued at more than U.S. $1 billion.

  • From being a minor area compared to the United States and Canada within the broader NAFTA region, Mexico is rapidly growing in importance for the powder coatings industry.

  • There are about 60 suppliers of thermoset powder coatings in the United States and Canada, including all but one of the main global players.

  • Polyester-epoxy hybrids and polyester-TGIC powders are the two main types used in the North American market; together they represent nearly 60% of the market, followed by polyurethanes, epoxies and acrylics.

  • Average prices across the board vary considerably, from highs of approximately U.S. $12.00/kg down to U.S. $3.60/kg, and remain amongst the highest market prices for powder coatings worldwide.

    The North American powder coatings producers face many challenges to maintain growth and profitability in the period up to 2015.

    Irfab has arrived at some striking conclusions in its North American study, part of a worldwide series of studies with regular updates. Despite the sophisticated nature of U.S. market intelligence, Irfab (www.irfab.com; enquiry@irfab.com) has revisited statistical claims made by other prominent sources and has corrected several anomalies, especially in sensitive areas of market shares and future projections. As a result of Irfab's strengths and insight into global powder coatings market intelligence, it has used its rigorous methodology to obtain first-hand information on the North American market.

    Hence, the study provides an independent and unbiased inspection of the North American powder coatings marketplace from a fresh perspective. The following are included in the study.

    • Data on all three NAFTA countries.

    • Market segmentation by chemistry and share of main suppliers.

    • Reports on market shares of market participants, both powder producers and selected resin suppliers.

    • Market segmentation, which includes appliances, architectural/building, automotive (OEM and accessories), general metal finishing, job coaters, lawn and garden, office furniture, functional.

    • Resin consumption details: hybrids, polyesters, epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylics.

    • Key issues facing the market, and trends in the main application segments.

    • An examination of the Architectural and Building sector, why powder coatings have not had the same success in this market as in Europe, and the prospects for the future.

    • Specific case studies, illustrating the successful use of powder coatings in this region.

    • Growth rates for United States/Canada and for Mexico up to 2015.

    • An investigation of the potential for novel powder coating technologies such as UV and low temperature cure for substrates like MDF and plastics.

    • Production structure and degree of fragmentation.

    • Profitability analysis.

    • ‘Perceptual maps' (pricing, geography focus, segment focus) of 10 selected companies.

    • Profiles of more than 30 powder coatings manufacturers.
    Additionally:
    • Information regarding global powder coatings markets by region, global market shares by region of the top 10 powder coatings players.

    • A comparison of global and regional average powder coatings prices, powder coatings penetration and global market segmentation.

    This study places the North American powder coatings market, within both a regional and a global context, resulting in a valuable strategic document for the global powder coatings industry. The 200+ page report is a worthy document for corporate business planning and R&D decision makers, and provides tools for strategic decision making to identify untapped opportunities. It is also available in PDF format.

    For more information, e-mail enquiry@irfab.com, visit www.irfab.com, or call +32 2 657 35 85.