Building the use of architectural powder coatings in the US
Although the US often sets the pace for global trends, Europe and the rest of the world lead the way in the use of architectural powder coatings, with technology that is relatively well known. Why then isn't powder more of a presence in the North American architectural industry? This article addresses that question and examines whether or not powder coatings will ever become as dominant in North America as they are in the rest of the world. The article investigates the obstacles that prevent powder coatings from becoming more of a player here and makes recommendations on how to make powder coatings more prevalent in the US architectural industry.
Market data supplied by a manufacturer of powder coatings suggest that, if all architectural aluminum were coated with powder, the global consumption would amount to 970 million US tons of powder coatings. Presently, global consumption is around 79,344 US tons, or 18 percent of the architectural market [see Figure 1]. On a global basis, anodizing is the preferred choice of finishers coating architectural aluminum; powder the second choice. Within this market, regional differences are strong.