This month marks the in-person return of PCI’s two annual events, Coatings Trends & Technologies (CTT) and the Powder Coating Summit (PCS). CTT will take place September 8-9 at the Westin in Lombard, Illinois, and PCS takes place Sept. 22-23 at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris in Columbus, Ohio. Our entire staff and Event’s Department are excited to re-connect with industry friends and colleagues after too long of a hiatus. I want to share some quick highlights of each event, as there is still time for you to register to attend.

CTT

CTT will feature a three-track conference program, including 42 technical presentations on topics from formulating strategies, resin developments, low-VOC technology, architectural coatings, industrial coatings, coating process engineering, sustainability, UV/EB technology, additive advancements, biobased technology, dispersion techniques and current trends.

A special highlight on the first day is our keynote address, titled Fundamentals to Ensure Sustainable Growth: Strategic Insights for Mid-Decade Business Planning. Are you Ready for 2025? Our keynote speaker is Daniel Murad, Chief Executive Officer of The ChemQuest Group. I have seen a preview of Dan’s presentation and am amazed at how much information he has prepared for our attendees. In a nutshell, he will discuss current coatings business performance metrics, disruptive innovation and secular trends, M&A activity, as well as how consumer behavior will change the way coatings are bought and used in the post-Covid era.

On the morning of the second day, I will be moderating a panel discussion on ongoing digital transformation. The market is pressing hard for manufacturers to develop customizable, multifunctional products; shorten time to market; increase efficiency; control costs; and observe environmental regulations and customer demands. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have accelerated these demands, as well as the need for new and different capabilities, increasing the urgency to embrace digital transformation beyond single-point solutions. To do all this at the required pace calls for an exponential growth in R&D and a multitude of new formulations. Panelists from PPG, Dow, Alchemy Cloud, RheoCube and 4aBetterBusiness will discuss these issues, as well as the human factor, since how employees develop the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful digital transformation is just as important as the technology they employ.

CTT will also feature 70 exhibitors who supply raw materials, equipment and services to coatings manufacturers around the world. If you live within a drivable distance to the Chicago area, please consider spending two days with us at CTT. If not, you can register to watch select presentations, including the keynote and the panel discussion, via our Broadcast Live (BL) option. Learn more and register for either the in-person event or the BL sessions at https://www.pcimag.com/coatings-conference.

PCS

The Powder Coating Summit is a niche event developed for powder coating professionals. In addition to 13 technical presentations on the latest materials and technologies available to powder coating manufacturers, the event will feature a keynote address by Kevin Hales, Automotive Market Innovation Manager, Powder Coatings, at AkzoNobel. Kevin’s presentation is titled Back to the Future – A Look Back to See Ahead. He will discuss how powder coating is positioned for a resurgence as new application opportunities present themselves in automotive architectures. With the focus on growth of electrification, environmental compliance, energy consumption and overall performance, new areas of the vehicle are being considered for powder.

A unique feature of PCS is the Lab Demo on the afternoon of the first day. Attendees are taken to the nearby laboratories of the Powder Coating Research Group for a hands-on demonstration of how powder coatings are formulated, extruded, sprayed, cured and tested. There is no extra cost to attend the Lab Demo, but conference attendees must sign up to attend, as space is limited.

The PCS will also feature a panel discussion titled, The Evolution of Powder Coatings for Automotive Applications — Will There be Growth? Current panelists include experts from the Powder Coating Research Group, The ChemQuest Group and AkzoNobel.

There is still time and space for you to register for this two-day event in Columbus. Be sure to visit https://www.pcimag.com/powder-coating-summit for more information and registration information.

I want to take this opportunity to announce that beginning in 2022, CTT and PCS will be co-locating at the Westin in Lombard, Illinois. Coatings suppliers and manufacturers involved in both liquid and powder coatings will be able to attend both events at one location. While we’re already looking forward to next year, I do hope to see many of you at both of these events in September!