Global paint and coating industry is difficult to "walk in step"

China Coatings Network
News: The global
Paints
and
Coatings
industries are going through a turbulent period, with some companies reporting record sales and profits in the first half of the year, but growth in different regions is extremely uneven. Industry analysts believe that this is mainly due to the strong dollar and the euro continued to weaken the foreign exchange rate. "The global economy continues to face challenges, with very different regions and different consumer sectors," said Tony Büchner, chief executive of AkzoNobel. According to the Global Paint and Coatings Industry Association (WPCIA), the global paint and coatings industry will continue to grow in the second half of the year, but remains unbalanced.
, the world's largest paint and coatings maker, earned 3.95 billion euros ($4.36 billion) in the second quarter, up 6 percent from a year earlier, mainly driven by favorable exchange rates. "The north American market environment continues to improve, but Europe remains depressed, with challenging market conditions in most countries, including Russia, Brazil and China, and different market performance," Mr Akzonobel said. Some
and coatings companies
record
quarterly results in the past year. RPM International's fourth-quarter sales, diluted earnings and earnings per share hit record highs for the fiscal year ended May 31. RPM reported net sales of $1.37 billion in the fourth quarter, up 7.5 percent from a year earlier. EST was $204.3 million, up 19 per cent year-on-year and net profit up 18 per cent year-on-year to $128 million.
(SW) also had strong second-quarter results, with sales up 2.9 per cent year-on-year to $3.13bn and net sales up 5.4 per cent year-on-year to $1.98bn. "The strong growth in second quarter results was mainly due to strong sales of
coatings in
markets," SW said.
PPG Industries reported net sales of $4.1 billion in the second quarter, up about 1% year-on-year and 8% year-on-year in local currency terms. Charles Bunch, chairman and CEO of PPG Industries, said: "The company's adjusted earnings per share hit an all-time high in the second quarter, up 18 per cent year-on-year. Global
and coatings sales rose 3.9 percent to 43.4 million tons in 2014, worth $123.3 billion, according to WPCIA. Asia Pacific is the world's largest consumer of paints and coatings, accounting for 47% of global paint and coatings consumption in 2014. China accounts for 58 per cent of the region's consumption and 27 per cent of global consumption. Europe is the world's second-largest consumer, accounting for 24% of global consumption. In third place was North America, which accounts for 18 per cent of global consumption. In fourth place was Latin America, at 6 per cent.
the WPCIA, the global paint and coatings industry will continue to grow, but remain unbalanced. The global paint and coatings industry is expected to grow at an average rate of 5% in 2015, driven primarily by strong economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
VdL, the German paint and coatings industry association, predicts that production and operating income in the German paint and coatings industry will increase slightly in 2015, but mainly in the second half of this year. Sales of paints and coatings in Germany are expected to be around EUR 6.3 billion in 2015, with production of approximately 2 million tons.
the world's leading paint and coatings manufacturers remain optimistic about the future, but have reservations. "We expect the global economy to continue to grow, but it will remain unbalanced," PPG Industries said. Based on current exchange rates and seasonal factors, we expect the company's growth to accelerate in Europe and the United States, slower in the Asia-Pacific region and still sluggish in Latin America. SW
that sales for the third quarter and full year 2015 will increase by 3% to 5% yoY. "We are updating our 2015 diluted net income forecast of $10.60 to $11.00 per share and 2014 earnings per share of $8.78," the company said. RPM
said it expected sales in the consumer segment to increase by 4% to 5% in fiscal 2016 and that its core consumer business would continue to expand its market share. "In industrial applications, we expect sales to continue to improve as U.S. industrial companies continue to improve and grow by 8 to 10 percent, particularly in the commercial construction market," said Frank Sullivan, chairman and chief executive officer of RPM. "