clipping
8
| Paint&pintura | Julho2015
Polystell has interestingexpectations, including a two-digit
growthforecast.“This isespeciallyduetothe innovativepro-
ductsavailablefromourrangeofthickeners,suchasPolyumec
51016,whichnotonlyactsasacross-linkingaid,butalsoshows
greatperformanceasathickenerindecorativepaints,aswhile
makingcontainerfillingeasierwhilethepaintproduct isstill in
process,itthickenstheproductwithinthenext24to48hours
withinthecontainer.Wealsohaveothernewdevelopments
atthefinaldevelopmentstagethatwe intendto introduceto
themarketplaceduringABRAFATI2015,”Lopessays.
Rheology is a very extensive and complex science in the
universeof paints and coatings, anddespiteBrazil’s tough
economic situation, rheology is always a themeof interest,
whichmakes thickeners still part of amarket segment that
hasthepotentialfornewdevelopmentsandalternativestobe
introduced,accordingtoColormix’ssalesmanagerAlexandre
CastroMonteiro. “Thevariousneedsofpaintsandcoatings
withamorechallengingrheologyprofile,butwith improved
flowandlevelingproperties,representthebestopportunities
forpromotingthickeners.”
The traditionalmarket in thickenerswill either remainstable
orexperienceaslightdecrease in2015.However, thickeners
employingnewertechnologiesareexpectedtogrowmode-
ratelyduringtheyear.“Insuchatimeofcrisis,manufacturers
of paints and coatings at large are showinggreat interest
in seekingdifferentiated thickeners that can reallyupgrade
their products. They are looking, for example, for products
thatexceedthosecurrentlyandusuallyused intermsoffinish
performance,” saysAurélioRocha, BYK’s generalmanager
forLatinAmerica.
In theeyesofNoemi Sakamoto, salesandmarketingmana-
ger at Denver EspecialidadesQuímicas, as thebuilding and
construction industryshrinks, sotoodoesthepaintandcoa-
tings industry,withbleakprospectsforthenextfewmonths.
“Consequently, the thickenermarket dependson thepaint
market, and this iswhy it behaves the sameway. Thehigh
exchange rateand,most importantly, the instability thereof
overly influences themarket in thickeners,as theirmain raw
materialsare imported inmanycases. This iswhathappens
withCMC(carboxymethylcellulose),aproductmanufactured
byDenverEspecialidadesQuímicas.”
Denverhasoptimisticexpectations for thisyear.“We intend
tosustain thesamefiguresof2014. Inspiteof theeconomic
difficultiesweareseeing inourcountry,Denverbelieves ina
resumptionofgrowthandisthereforeexpandingitscapacity,”
saysNoemi.
MineralAdditives–Fillers /Slurry
Cost-BenefitRatioBumpsUpGrowthProjection
With technical benefits, reducedpaint cost, enhancedper-
formance, andawidevarietyofparticle sizes,mineral fillershave
becomeproducts thataremoreandmoreconsumed in thepaint
andcoatings industry.
Manyaretheexpectations,whetheroptimisticornotquite,about
thepaint industryand,asa result, the rawmaterials thatmakeup
paintandcoatingproducts, includingmineralfillers.Sowhat isthe
outlookforthissegment?IntheopinionofOkyta’stechnicalmana-
gerMárioHenriqueRebouças,despitetheeconomicdifficultiesthe
country ishaving,there isapromisingfutureforthosewhoprovide
themarketwithqualityproducts, assureddelivery andeffective
after-salesservices in thehandlingofnonconformities. “I see that
mineralfillers, currentlyknownasadditives,arebeing increasingly
technically improved. Formulators arenoticinghow you improve
theperformanceof a coatingwhen youuse a laboratory-tested,
qualitymicronizedmineralfillerwithuniformparticlesizeandhigh
brightness.Thisiswhatthefutureholdsforthissegment,andthose
whofailtokeepupwillbe leftout.”
FormanymanufacturerslikeSibelco,forexample,thefutureofthis
segmentwillbegrowth.“Asacountry,Brazil isveryrich inmineral
resources, andmoreandmore studiesof application for such re-
sourcesinthemostvariedofsegmentsarebeingconducted,which
segments includepaintsandcoatings.When itcomestominerals,
technologicalimprovementsarebeingbasedonparticlesizereduc-
tionthroughdiversifiedmicronizationandparticlesizedistribution
technologies,resulting inproductsfeaturinghigherbrightnessand
hidingpower,”sayssalesmanagerEmersonDelegá.
There aregreat expectations for sales of ultrafinemineral fillers,
according toDanielaZanetteMoreira,directoratCarbomix. “This
isbecausenotonlydoultrafinemineralfillersconsiderablyexpand
our product lineand reachnewmarkets, suchasPVC,masterba-
tches, injectedproducts,polymers,etc.,butalsoa largemajorityof
ourcustomersconsumetheseproducts.Forthisreason,oursales
effortsareaimedatthefullrangeofmineralfillersconsumed inthe
marketplace,whichthereforebenefitsfromtheabilitytopurchase
rawmaterial fromone supplier. As regards acidity-neutralizing
limestone,wehavegoodexpectations, too, becauseCarbomix is
locatednearareaswhereagriculture isoneofthemain industries.”
“Especiallybuildingandconstruction,an industryweserveactively
from thefirst stepof the supplychain to thefinishingof comple-
tedbuildings.Over thenext fewyears,webelieve that advances
promptedby thecurrenteconomicdifficultieswill fosterchanges
ofstrategyand intheuseofminerals leadingtooptimizationofthe
useof resources, including reduceduseofmineralswithoutchan-
ges inperformanceproperties, forwhichCelTiX iscurrentlyused,”
saysAlexandreLucatoCustódio,FPAtechnicalmanager forSouth
AmericaatImerys-Itatex.
AccordingtoVictorSanches,ofKymberlito’ssalesdepartment,the
mineralfillersegmentwillhavetospecialize,makingmineralblends
orevenseekingtoproduceslurries.“Weareseekingnewproducts
featuringtechnologyandaddedvaluethatarecapableofbringing
