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| PAINT&PINTURA | Jan/Fev2017
INCIPIENT GROWTH
Better thanwehadenvisioned. That describes the forecasts
forthefirstfewmonthsoftheyear.Thefirstquarter isalready
displaying reallypositive indicators.FinanceMinisterHenrique
MeirellesanticipatesthatBrazil’sGDP(grossdomesticproduct)
willgrow2percentbytheendofthelastquarterof2017.Infact,
heproceededtosay,“we’regoingtoseegrowthassoonasthe
numbersforthefirstquarterareannounced.”
TheCNI (NationalConfederationof Industry), for itspart,anti-
cipates thatBrazilwill slowlybounceback from its recession,
and that its industrialGDP for2017will increaseby 1.3percent
over2018.TheCNIalsoexpectstheBrazilianeconomytogrow
0.5percentthisyear.Oneothersignificantprojectionrefersto
investments,which areexpected togain 2.3percent against
lastyear.The inflation rate,alsoaccording to theCNI,will add
upto5percentbythecloseof2017,nearthe4.5-percenttarget
fortheyear.
Keyindustrysegmentsaregraduallyshowingapositivereaction,
thuscontributingtofurtherimprovementsineconomicgrowth
forecastsforthisyear.Byall indications,thecountry isgoingto
comeoutoftherecessionasearlyasthefirstquarterof2017.
ThisissueofPaint&Pinturabringsyouanarticleonthelastevent
heldbyABRAFATI(BrazilianAssociationofPaintManufacturers)
in 2016, where its executivepresident Dilson Ferreira talked
abouthis forecasts for 2017aswell. “Lookingat 2017,we still
seeadifficultyearaheadofus,butweexpecttheeconomyto
stabilize, at least tosomeextent, reversing the fall inourGDP
andresuminggrowth,even ifonlymodestly.”
Duringthatsameevent,FreddyCarrillo,chairmanoftheABRA-
FATIManagementBoard,emphasizedtheimportanceofexchanging
informationonexperiencesandsituationsgoingfarbeyondthereality
anddifficultiesinthemarketplace.“Wearefocusedontryingtomini-
mizethat impactandturnthingsaroundforgrowth intheyear2017.
We’rerunningacampaignaimedatstimulatingtheconsumptionof
ourpaintsandcoatings,whileobviouslycapitalizingongovernment
programs,aswellasprogramsfromotherassociationsthatcanhelp
usboostthecoatingsmarket,”hesaid.
Onthefollowingpagesyouwillalsoseetheprojectionsforthisyear
concerningproductsthatarecriticaltothepaintandcoatingsindustry,
suchas inorganicpigments,alkydresins,andproductionequipment
(mills,dispensers,andmixers).
LucéliaMonfardini
INTERVIEW -NEWCHALLENGES
Chemours has been investingmoreandmore in initiatives
designed to significantly strengthen its brand in theworld
marketandensuregrowthforthenextfewyears.
Thecompanystartedoperatingworldwideinthesecondhalf
of2015, followingthespinningoffofDuPont’sPerformance
Chemicalsbusiness.Currently,Chemoursoperatesasasepa-
rateentityallovertheworld,withover200years’experience,
US$6billion inrevenues,andaportfoliocomprisingtitanium
dioxide,fluorinatedproductsandchemicalsolutions.
TheBrazilianoperationhasnotseenanysignificantchange.
Chemourshasmadenochangetoanyofitssafetyprocesses,
technologies, patents, plants, products or specifications,
andthesamegoestothedistributionchannelsandservices
previouslyprovidedbyDuPont.
Since theclosingof thedealwhich resulted in the spin-off,
the company has beenworking at the transition from the
DuPont to the Chemours brand, which involves investing
to strengthen theirpowerbrands, suchasOpteon, Teflon,
Ti-Pure, Krytox, Viton, andNafion. Inaddition, in itsFluoro-
productsbusiness, Chemourshassimplified itsportfolioby
rolling itsSuvaandIsceonbrands intooneandnaming it“Freon”.
Chemour’s latestdevelopment for thepaintandcoatings industry is
Ti-PureSelect TS-6300, anew titaniumdioxidegrade that provides
maximumhidingpower inflat and low sheen interior andexterior
architecturalcoatings, inbothsolventandwater-basedformulations.
Inaddition,thecompanyhasmadeamajorinvestmenttoexpanditsAl-
tamiraplant,inMexico,amountingtomorethanUS$600million,which
hasadded200,000metrictonstoChemours’titaniumdioxidecapacity
fortheglobalmarket,whilefavoringthecreationofnewapplications
andsolutionsforthe industry.
Available inPortugueseonly isan interviewwiththenewpresidentof
ChemoursBrazil,MaurícioXavier,whowill playapart in leading the
Braziliansubsidiary’sstrategyandexpansion,andClaudiaAntunes,the
newmanageroftheTitaniumTechnologiesbusinessforBrazil. Inthat
interview, theexecutivescommenton theircompany’splans, invest-
ments,growthexpectationsandnewtechnologies,especiallyforthe
titaniumdioxidemarket.
INORGANICPIGMENTS-VISUALEFFECTANDHIGHPERFORMANCE
The inorganicpigmentmarket isalwaysevolving.Manufacturersseek
tomeet all kindsof customer-specific requirementseachyear, from
