Tough times for powder coatings

The prospects of the powder coatings market in the face of overcapacity and movement of OEM manufacturers offshore, are discussed. Due to the market pressures, many industry insiders expect to see a sizeable consolidation and capacity transaction over a period of time. The overcapacity in North America is worsened by increased competition from powder suppliers in China, which is one of the fastest growing powder markets in the world. The field of nanotechnology holds the potential to make all coatings, including powder, even thinner and lightweight, and even lower the cure temperature of powder sufficiently for use with low temperature substrates.