CHINACOAT is the major coatings and ink industry manufacturers and suppliers show in the China and Asia-Pacific region. Organized by Sinostar-ITE International Limited, CHINACOAT offers the opportunity for industry leaders to learn about the latest developments in the industry.

CHINACOAT alternates between Shanghai and Guangzhou. This year, CHINACOAT2024, the 29th edition of CHINACOAT, will be held Dec. 3-5 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, P.R. China.

Sinostar reports that this year’s exhibition will be held in 8.5 exhibition halls (Halls 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2 and 5.2), with more than 91,500 square meters of exhibition space. As of Sept. 9, more than 1,310 exhibitors from 30 countries are already signed up. There will be  five exhibit zones: China & International Raw Materials; China Machinery, Instrument & Services; International Machinery, Instrument & Services; UV/EB Technology & Products; and Powder Coatings Technology.
Technical Programs
CHINACOAT also offers concurrent Technical Programs, which allows attendees to ability to meet with and learn from industry leaders. The offerings include Technical Seminars and Webinars and Technical Workshops. There will be two workshops this year:
• Workshop 1: Achieving Sustainability in Coatings and Inks Through Focused Improvements – Professor Long Lin
• Workshop 2: Automotive Refinish Technology Innovations & Roadmap to Comply with VOC Regulations –Dr. Tong-Zhou Liu

There will also be a national presentation – Overview of Indonesian Paints & Coatings Market, hosted by the president of Indonesian Paint Association (APCI).

The Chinese Paint and Coatings Market

The Asia Pacific paint and coatings market is the world’s largest region. Douglas Bohn of Orr & Boss Consulting Incorporated estimates that the total market size of the Asian paint and coatings market is 28.3 billion liters and $89.4 billion, of which China is the largest paint and coatings market.

In his Asia-Pacific paint and coatings market overview in September 2024’s Coatings World, Bohn reported that China is not growing as fast as in previous years.
“The key trend impacting the market has been slowing growth in China,” Bohn reported. “The property market has declined and thus any paint used in new construction applications is flat or declining. Furthermore, the manufacturing sector is flat. This has resulted in very limited growth in the China market, although repaint applications remain stable and are showing some growth. We expect growth to remain this way for the rest of the year and into next year before some recovery begins in 2026. One bright spot in the China paint and coatings market is the growth of electric vehicles. EV production continues to grow in China.”

Overall, Bohn sees growth slowing in the region.

“The market growth for paint and coatings in Asia Pacific is slowing due to a slowing global economy,” Bohn noted. “The slowing economies in Europe and North America have resulted in less demand for the goods that are manufactured in Asia. Also, the decline in the real estate market in China and elsewhere had resulted in slowing demand for paint and coatings. Despite these challenges, we remain optimistic about the future growth of the market. Favorable demographics and economic trends should propel the market forward.”

The importance of the Chinese paint and coatings market cannot be overstated. Every one of the top paint companies has significant operations in China. Most recently, in July, BASF’s Coatings division opened ts new Application and Technical Center in Jiangmen, China.

“We are proud of our new product development and the efficiency gains from having a dedicated application center in Asia Pacific,” said Chris Titmarsh, senior vice president, Automotive Refinish Coatings at BASF, in announcing the opening. “Its proximity to our R&D and production facilities in China and beyond ensures synergy and a real-time response to market demands.”

“The new Application and Technical Center is more than an extension of our production site and innovation hub. It is a dedicated technology hub designed for rigorous product and process testing, evaluation, and competitor benchmarking. With this, we can deliver products of the highest standard to the market that perfectly cater to our customers’ requirements,” said Susann Kluge, vice president, Automotive Refinish Coatings Asia Pacific at BASF.

In June, PPG launched its new $30 million battery pack application center (BPAC) in Tianjin, China, where customers can test the application of PPG coatings, such as powder coatings, fire protection coatings, dielectric coatings, adhesives and sealants, surface pre-treatment, and e-coat technologies, for electric vehicle (EV) battery packs.

“The new application center is an important milestone in our effort to support our customers in China in the EV battery market,” said Vincent Robin, PPG global vice president, Automotive Coatings, in introducing the new site. “The new facility will be an important way for customers to validate our customizable coatings solutions that help them reduce application cost, increase battery life, range and charging speed, and contribute to occupant safety.”

“The application center showcases PPG’s work in R&D and application technologies for EV batteries, while playing a significant role in developing our local talent in Tianjin,” added Thomas Li, PPG vice president, Asia Pacific, Automotive Coatings. “It highlights the focus on our work to develop sustainable, cutting-edge technologies in China, and provide our customers with value-added solutions.”

In September 2023, Hempel brought its new marine coatings site in Zhangjiagang online. The Zhangjiagang factory will gradually increase production to reach 100 million liters annually by 2025.

“Our teams, both here in Zhangjiagang and in Yantai, have put in a massive effort to make this happen and I am very proud of the results,” said Katarina Lindstroem, Hempel’s COO and EVP. “Getting Zhangjiagang online is a major step towards better serving our customers in the Marine, Energy and Infrastructure sectors. This new location will significantly improve ‘time to market’ of both products and services – especially at the shipyards along the Yangtze.”

In 2022, AkzoNobel opened a new production line for water-based paints at its Songjiang site in Shanghai, China. The site is one of AkzoNobel’s four water-based architectural paints facilities in China.

Visitors can register on CHINACOAT’s official website (www.chinacoat.net). Visitor registration is also available via the official WeChat platform (ID: ChinaCoat_SFChina).