Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 231

CLIPPING 10 | PAINT&PINTURA | Abril 2018 Paint Formulations.” CLOSING EVENT A market overview based on studies from consulting firm RY Consultoria shows rapid growth for advanced functional materials, reflecting in an also growing market for what has been known as smart coatings. Although therein lies the best business opportunity for adding value in the paint and coatings industry, it is not necessarily the easiest one to pursue. By the title “Smart Coatings: EmergingOpportunities for the Brazilian Market,” the lecture provided by RY&Associateswas a presen- tation on emergingmarkets and how they can impact business for coatings andmaterials in Brazil in an innovative way. Smart coatings and themultifunctional materials that go into themare about to change paint formulation and production processes. 22ND PAINT & PINTURA AWARDS - “OSCAR” NOMINEES ANNOUNCED Following the awards presented to the best of the North and Northeast markets, it’s time for the national “Oscars” of the paint and coatings industry! A survey conducted by Agnelo Editora now points to the finalists for the 22nd Paint & Pintura Awards. The 22nd Paint & Pintura Suppliers Survey has determined the finalists in 53 categories, 39 of which are for raw materials, eight for paint companies, and six for the Personality of the Year awards. The grand event is going to take place on May 18 at Espaço Vila dos Ipês, in São Paulo, where representatives of companies fromacross the paint and coatings supply chain are going to be in attendance. The trophies of the coatings industry’s “Oscar night” will be presented to those companies in the industry which stood out the most by a variety of criteria, such as specification, partnership, lead times, pricing, services, and volumes. In the survey answer form, respondents were asked to name up to five companies for each rawmaterial category, and thosewere put to a vote by paint and coatings companies. A total of 146 respondents participated. The Suppliers Personality category is included in this part of the survey. The winners in the remaining Personality of the Year subcate- gories - Purchasing, Marketing, Research and Development, and Coatings Industry Leader - are determined by the vote of suppliers to the industry, which by the way has not yet fini- shed. In other words, while phase one of the survey has been concluded, phase two is still ongoing, set to wrap up on April 15, 2018. Only then will the big winners be known. Thewinners of the Paint Company of the Year awards, for their part, are thosewho set themselves apart for their emphasis on quality, investments in research and development, products launched, respect for the environment, and social responsi- bility. For this category, the manufacturers that made the list of finalists were nominated by representatives of suppliers to the coatings industry. The Paint & Pintura Survey, which commenced on November 6, 2017 and ended on March 9, 2018 (except for personalities of the year, on which the jury is still out), was carried out online, with answers submitted through a link on the web portal at www. paintshow.com.br . Check out the finalists for the 22nd Paint & Pintura Awards in this issue. CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION - IMPROVING THE INDUSTRY EACH DAY Set on providing the paint and coatings industry with the most comprehensive range of chemicals, distributors introduce innovative products and combine themwith great points of difference, such as customer care, quality, logistics, safety, services, process upgrades, certifications, etc. The chemical distribution industry has undergone major changes and overcome great challenges. For the year 2017, even though the earlymonthswere a little harder, a pick-up in demand could be noted for the last couple of quarters. Rubens Medrano, president of the Brazilian Association of Chemical and Petrochemical Distributors and Union of São Paulo State Chemical and Petrochemical Wholesalers (known for short in Portuguese as Associquim-Sincoquim), says that last year can be broken down into two different phases. “A weak first half, still impacted by the recession, and a second half during which we began to experience a substantial improvement in sales, with a boost from the recovery seen in the industry, which stems from the growth in domestic consumption. Thismakes us optimistic, albeit moderately, about what our 2017 results will turn out to be.” For 2018, judging from the performance achieved over the course of the second half of 2017, one is led to conclude that the recession period is over, in Medrano’s assessment. “We’re encouraged to see that business has been getting gradually back on track, with a growth trend for the current year. We’re unlikely to get the indicators back where they are prior to the crisis in 2018 alone, but the industry is optimistic nonetheless, and that creates a virtuous circle for business. Not only is it my belief that the Brazilian economy is resuming gro- wth this year, all consumption and other economic indicators show that this economy is well into a recovery process. Maybe that’s not happening at the pace we would have it, but the important thing is that we are on the right path. Inflation and interest rates are at rea- sonably acceptable levels, consistent with those found in countries with stable economies. For this year, the GDP is expected to grow two to three percent. Exchange rates have shown little fluctuation, which is advantageous to business in our industry.” Medrano also points out that we should not forget 2018 is election year in Brazil, and that involves some anxiety about the new admi- nistration that will emerge and what their policy platform will be. “That especially applies to the reforms that are required before we’re actually able to secure ideal conditions for continuous and sustainable growth.” PACKAGING - CONTAINERS A SAFE AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY