EDITOR’S LETTER
This is a moment of great excitement Richiedi la versione in italiano a info@ipcm.it
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lthough the media describe the global industrial situation gloomily, with recession forecasts for all major world economic powers, we have found a dynamic and confident atmosphere during our first visits of the year to several surface treatment companies. 90% of them has made significant investments in plant innovation in the last six months. Some chose revamping projects in order to fully or partially update existing plants and bring them to the state-of-the-art level, thus extending their service life and improving their operational quality degree. Others opted for a more radical change and fully replaced their surface finishing lines, sometimes including them in more extensive plant upgrade programs that also involved other production phases. Whether they are new coating booths, sensors and control equipment installed in the pre-treatment phase together with a change in the chemical used, or complete finishing lines, the Industry 4.0 and its digital paradigms have been the main drivers of development and investment. However, they are not the only ones: the improvement of production sustainability (adoption of water-based or powder coatings), the replacement of chromium-based pre-treatment processes (both in the aluminium and coating contracting sectors), and, above all, the automation of production and control processes are all significant trends that translate into production efficiency, consumption and waste reduction, and, above all, quality consistency. Through a virtuous combination of green chemistry and green engineering, companies seem projected to create a future in which it will be possible to produce even very small batches efficiently, sustainably, and with a very high quality degree. Trade fairs are also a gauge of the health of the industry. February and March were two eventful months, e.g. the world-class exhibition for the paint and coating industry European Coatings Show in Nuremberg, the equally important trade fair for the cosmetic packaging sector Cosmopack in Bologna, and national trade fairs such as Scandinavian Coatings in Copenhagen, Middle East Coatings Show in Dubai, Pakistan Coatings Show in Lahore, Industrie - Midest in Lyon, and MadeExpo in Milano. None of them saw any decrease in the participation and number of visitors. So what is the real situation? Surely, European data on the scale of the industrial slowdown are far from comforting. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), an indicator of the manufacturing activity, ended 2018 with the lowest growth rate of the last four years in the euro area, whereas uncertainty on the Brexit deal is a further source of concern. In China, the industrial production rate is the lowest of the last three years and in the United States the beneficial effects of the tax cut are running out. Yet companies continue to believe, invest, and look for new solutions and new tools to be more efficient, competitive, and prosperous.
Alessia Venturi Editor-in-chief Direttore Responsabile
The disconnect between the political-financial and industrial reality is well known. The spirit of initiative and the courage of entrepreneurs, the support and lobby work of associations, and the concreteness and willingness of individuals can produce wealth even in times of recession. These strengths enable economies to emerge from the quagmire in the long run – in spite of everything.
international PAINT&COATING magazine - MARCH/APRIL 2019 - N. 56
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