EDITOR’S LETTER
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Alessia Venturi Editor-in-chief Direttore Responsabile
N
ovember 2020. I am writing the editorial for the last issue of ipcm® to be distributed in 2020, a year that will be remembered for the pandemic still underway. A year that, after only two months from its inception, catapulted us into a reality of uncertainty and fear. A year that has brought out the best, but also the worst traits of human beings. In eleven years of ipcm® magazines, I do not think we have ever produced a greater number of articles about tangible, revolutionary innovations ready to be industrialised in the coating sector than that included in this issue. An issue dealing with people, success and resilience stories, completely new technologies, and developments of what we have known so far. An issue created halfway between the “old way”, that of on-site visits and personal meetings, and the “new way”, through video calls and remote interviews. An issue to be proud of. By scrolling through its pages, you will have the perception of a dynamic industry, which has not surrendered to production stoppages nor to operational and travel difficulties. An industry that has focussed on “doing” rather than “fearing”. An industry that has invented new ways to keep doing something old: producing, selling, and innovating. It is as if the world of industry and research had turned against the turmoil, uncertainty, and disorientation brought about by this new virus in order to reconfirm the humankind’s ability to resist and be reborn by innovating. Whereas some of these innovations are still driven by the current situation – in the next pages, you will find a press release about the first positive tests on a powder coating with virucidal effects – most of them offer solutions to critical issues related to production, sustainability, and products’ service life. These include ultra high-performance anti-graffiti paints with unmatched protection results and a revolutionary in-line sputtering metallising concept, which makes this technology more accessible to users in various sectors. There are also a low-temperature cross-linking powder with a chemical formulation never used before, which opens new horizons to powder coatings in the markets of metalwork and heat-sensitive products, and new ranges of liquid and powder application equipment. Finally, there are innovations involving the digitalisation of coating systems: a software package with a library of over 600 finishing systems that helps users choose the most appropriate solution, a vision device digitalising the application process to control its quality, and the most complete 4.0 platform for coating plants available on the Italian market. Even the success stories in this issue, including those of the industrial cleaning sector presented in the supplement, belong to the most diverse fields: from electrical cabinets to fashion accessories, from transmissions for commercial vehicles and plastic car components to refrigerated counters for supermarkets and delicatessens, and from components for vacuum pumps and hydraulic blocks to school desks. All their protagonists have invested in the latest innovations and technologies, trusting in the relaunch of production activities. We therefore look forward to the new year with confidence. During the on-site visits of the last two months, we have breathed optimism and industriousness. Despite some predictable losses, our sector has held up and some markets, such as architecture and metal furniture, are even growing thanks to contingent needs. If it is true, as we hope, that a vaccine will be already available at the beginning of the new year, I believe we will see the beginning of a market euphoria phase to which companies will have to be able to respond – we have already seen the first signs of this with the trend of international stock exchanges following Pfizer’s announcement. Ipcm®’s wish for 2021 is for you to treasure this year’s experiences, in order to be responsive to the changes that await us.
international PAINT&COATING magazine - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 - N. 66
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