Global consumption of coatings was 90.4 billion lbs in 2016, valued at $121 billion, according to “Global Paint and Coatings,” a recent report from Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney. A 4% annual rate of growth is forecast through 2021. Volume is reportedly up 54% from the low of the 2009 global recession and 44% from the pre-recession level.

When I began my career in the chemical industry, my company’s initiatives impressed and intrigued me. The leadership would lay out our direction and focus, as well as the metrics by which we would measure success in the coming year. Eventually, I came to understand that, even with the push to improve profitability through various company initiatives, it makes good business sense to not lose sight of the measurable basics.

As vehicle manufacturers worldwide look to reduce weight from their cars and trucks in order to boost fuel economy and reduce emissions, they must set aside the mindset that has dictated traditional material and process choices and instead consider new and emerging technologies. This includes selecting adhesives and other joining options. Each car today contains, on average, 15 kg (~ 33 lbs) of adhesives,―and this amount will likely increase in the future.

When it comes to underwater adhesion, shellfish are the true experts. Mussels, barnacles and oysters attach to rocks with apparent ease. Yet our man-made glues often fail when trying to stick in wet environments. “Our current adhesives are terrible at wet bonding, yet marine biology solved this problem eons ago,” said Jonathan Wilker, a professor of chemistry and materials engineering at Purdue University.

Is your company the next Blockbuster? Not a blockbuster hit, but Blockbuster, the company that owned the video rental market until it was upended by an innovative competitor, Netflix. One thing is for certain: If your company isn’t innovating, all of its products or services eventually become commodities. Or they’re toppled by the next Netflix.

Dave Dunn's November 2017 column.

Teflon, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), is one of the most versatile industrial coatings available today. Best known for its nonstick properties, Teflon offers an extremely low coefficient of friction, chemical inertness, and excellent dielectric stability. Far more than a product for cookware, Teflon’s non-stick properties can be used to solve a variety of design challenges, including preventing the buildup of contaminants, corrosion and bacteria, and reducing friction or sticking between parts that come into contact. It can also be used as an ingredient in heavy-wear, high-load applications.

For manufacturers that use flat-rolled steel, aluminum and other metals to fabricate parts or products, the ability to bond decorative foils and laminate films to the substrate provides an opportunity to deliver attractive finishes for a competitive edge. Decorative finishes include the look of stainless steel, brushed copper, and wood grains, as well as a variety of colors, imprints, and gloss grades. Laminate films can also serve a functional purpose by providing scratch or chemical resistance.

Leeds-based Everbuild Building Products Ltd., part of the international Sika Group, is one of the UK’s leading sealant, adhesive and building chemical manufacturers, with customers in over 70 countries. It recently installed fully integrated silo protection systems (SPS) by Hycontrol to ensure the ongoing safe and reliable pneumatic filling of powder storage silos. The integrated protection systems, which feature full ground-level testing (GLT) capabilities for all critical system components, have been fitted to two 10-m-high silos used to store finely powdered dolomite.

International Data Corp. (IDC) discovered more than 900,00 smartphones are damaged by liquids every day globally.1 IDC’s research has found that liquid damage is the second-largest cause of damaged smartphones after broken screens, representing 35% of all devices repaired. This damage results in significant costs to the end users, device manufacturers, carriers and retailers, with the impact of liquid damage estimated to be worth nearly $100 billion each year.