Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 228

CLIPPING PAINT&PINTURA | Dezembro 2017 | 7 A PROMISING FUTURE The performance of the Brazilian economy remains posi- tive, if timidly so. This is revealed by the Economic Activity Index (IBC-Br), published by Brazil’s Central Bank, which has displayed a 0.58-percent increase for the months of July through September, relative to the second quarter of 2017. That also means the indicator was up three quarters in a row. The IBC-Br was created as an attempt to help anticipate the country’sGDP (GrossDomestic Product) performance for each year, and is calculated by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). For this year, the forecast is a GDP growth rate of 0.73 percent, accord- ing to analysts in the financial sector. The Central Bank, however, expects a slightly lower rate of growth, but still in the neighborhood of 0.7 percent. One other consideration to be made from that figure is that, through the third quarter of 2017, not only did Brazil succeed in keeping its economy on a growth trajectory, it also grew at a faster pace. As shown in our pieces on the featured themes for this issue -“Acrylic Resins”, “Special & Effect Pigments”, and “Thickeners”- most suppliers of suchmaterials have seen some improvement in demand in the course of this year, as reflected in a growing market where companies have been recording significant improvement in their business over themonths, which further encourages investments and newproduct developments. Accordingly, those com- panies are optimistic going forward, and expect much better results for 2018. All indicators show that the potential of the Brazilian market has not been diminished. Rather, thewheels have remained in motion, and the market is all set to display growth over the next several years, especially in the paint and coatings industry. Technological evolution is perma- nent in this sector, which is expected to experiencemore sustainable growth in the coming year. To that end, companies keep investing non-stop, and new product developments turn up each day featuring an environmentally friendly appeal, better cost-benefit ratios, and improved performance, while meeting cus- tomer needs and requirements, and adding value to the final product: the coating, be it decorative, automotive, industrial or otherwise. In addition to its leading articles, this December issue brings you success stories from major companies. Among them is the Renner Herrmann Group, which is celebrating its 90 years of activity with the great dedication and persever- ance that have made its businesses benchmarks in quality, technology, and social and environmental responsibility. Hidrotintas is another manufacturer celebrating its birthday. It’s now been 40 years since the beginning of its history of making decorative paints and enjoying great recognition in the North and Northeast market. In the events section, we highlight this year’s last Paint & Pintura Forum, which took place on November 9 in Criciúma, Santa Catarina, and had a total turnout of 108 registered attendees. The forum featured lectures from key companies in the coatings supply chain, such as Elementis Specialties, Stahl Polymers, Brenntag, IMCD, Wacker, quantiQ, MCassab, and the MAST Group. For next year, we already have a schedule of forums, and it comes with great news, too. The following cities will be hosting the event: Fortaleza, Ceará; Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul; Londrina, Paraná; and Goiânia, Goiás. The great news is Agnelo Editora is holding a Paint & Pintura Coatings and Construction Chemicals Forum in Campinas, São Paulo. Speaking of events, also featured in this issue is the presen- tation of the Sitivesp Supplier of the Year Awards, which took place on November 22 at the at the FIESP (São Paulo State Industries Federation) building in São Paulo. Check out all of those articles, and our coverage of those events, on the pages ahead. Lucélia Monfardini

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