32 | Sector Focus: Coatings & Finishes
◄ minimised risk of sanding through for a silky-smooth surface.
AkzoNobel has plans to introduce new products this year, more of which will be revealed in due course.
Remmers is playing its cards close to its chest but said that new products were planned for this year, while for Osmo, the plans it announced last year which would enable greater market share in the pigmented finish market, have come to fruition with the launch of a new mixing machine and ‘Elements’, which is a new exterior colour range. “Elements has 120 designers’ colours, which will be more appealing to the UK market,” said Mr Thompson. “The mixing machine will allow our customers to hold less stock but provide our full catalogue of colours by having the ability to pigment our clear, top-selling lines,” he added.
When it comes to colour trends, Paul Scott at Remmers points to “cloth matt finishes and pastel shades, with dark greys still important”, while Graham Buchan at Sherwin-Williams also notes that the recent fashion for “dead matt” finishes is still quite prominent, often combined with dark colours, such as blue, grey or black.
“Interestingly though, we may be seeing a higher demand for clear finishes,” he said. “We will see how this develops. We have a full colour team in the US who monitor and predict these matters, with the aim of keeping us and our customers ahead of the curve.” AkzoNobel’s dedicated global colour and design team for wood coatings fulfils the same function and is “continuously capturing and interpreting the colour and texture trends”, said Chris Bradford.
Four unique colour palettes created around the Colour of the Year will have an influence
on home decor – including furniture, flooring, cabinetry and building products – in the coming year:
• The Studio – soulful, warm, modern tones • The Salon – embracing artful qualities
• The Greenhouse – revelling in nature’s influence
• The Workshop – creating flexibility in multi-functional spaces
“We always consider the latest trends for coatings development and our highly trained Technical Service and Global Color and Design teams work closely together to ensure our finishes are robust but also can be industrialised across the globe.” For Osmo, it’s the clear products that still dominate its sales, “but there is definitely a move towards more opaque finishes for the exterior”, according to Paul Thompson. “The pigment a customer can use, the greater protection they will have for their timber projects,” he added.
ACQUISITIONS
The companies themselves have seen some changes in the last 12 months and have more planned. Remmers hints at an “announcement” in the first quarter of this year, while Osmo reports that its training room is now up and running and the technical team is providing training sessions at its head office.
“There has been a very successful uptake throughout 2022 and we are looking at pushing this forward in 2023,” said Mr Thompson.
Sherwin-Williams has had “an exciting year” in terms of acquisitions, acquiring the Italian ICA Group in late 2022. “This renowned company is an excellent addition to our portfolio and will allow us
to significantly expand our capabilities in developing and supplying high-performance industrial wood coatings,” said Mr Buchan. AkzoNobel also expanded its reach last
year, completing the acquisition of Columbia- based paints and coatings company Grupo Orbis in April, thereby strengthening its long-term position in Latin America. It also confirmed an agreement to acquire the African paints and coatings activities from Kansai Paint in June, with completion expected during the course of this year. AkzoNobel’s acquisition of Lankwitzer Lackfabrik’s aluminium wheel liquid coating business was announced in July and was expected to have been completed before the end of 2022.
As for what this year will bring, Mr Bradford said that although 2022 ended showing strong demand, despite the current macro-economic environment, this same environment could be the biggest challenge in 2023.
Conversely, the main opportunities will come from “building the strong customer partnerships we have, especially in distribution to gain market share”, he said. “We are also looking at how we can change our way of operating in the UK to improve service and offer more flexibility, and reduce logistic costs, while at the same time helping to meet sustainability demands,” he added.
Graham Buchan agrees that the economic outlook for 2023 is “not very positive” and said we haven’t seen the end of the supply chain and energy cost pressures which were a major feature of 2022. However, he said Sherwin-Williams will maintain positive growth by continuing to provide its customers “with innovative and cost-effective solutions and helping their businesses to prosper”. ■
Above left: Customers are looking for high performance products, says Sherwin-Williams Above right: Paul Thompson is sales director at Osmo UK TTJ | January/February 2023 |
www.ttjonline.com
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