COATINGS FOR AFRICA EXPO – SANDTON
The multi-million-dollar industry which helps to protect just about every surface you can think of descended this year once again at the Sandton Convention Centre. It brought the many and varied business and conferences with many interesting products and surfaces that enhance and decorate the industry in every sector, from the automotive, marine, truck and bus, shipping and packaging trades among other industry specialist interested parties.
The show has been going internationally for 30 years and hold in excess of hundreds of expo’s from international capitals in Egypt, Morocco, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai to name a few. The very latest products in equipment, tinting systems, testing, and measuring packages, production mixing mills, and training sessions in correct colour forecasting and quality control sessions were to be found. Health and safety concerns were also discussed in great length as these issues are interconnected with some of the hazardous raw materials used in automotive refinish paint production in this booming market.
Face-to-face specialist sessions were available for updated marketing on various sectors for trade magazines such as Automotive Refinisher, or transport coatings guaranteed the event’s success. A host of visiting back-up specialists were on-hand to carry out business-to-business activities to give anyone an understanding of just how vibrant the automotive paint business is.
Look back on the almost 40 years to when this publication started, there were only two local paint concerns in the auto refinish business. You can count up over 40 companies that now exist in the local market. With over 55 million new light vehicles sold across the world last year alone, a bright future exists in this business sector.
Many multi-national raw material and finished goods suppliers continue to dominate in the trade right from shipping the tins of product of innovative technology. More than ever service and back-up has become a vital part of a company’s success because of demands from automakers placed upon this technical area of supply.
Local companies such as Kansai, AECI, Sherwin-Williams and BAMR were out in force to deliver their clients a no-headache policy with their policies of triple customer focus which drives the thriving coatings sector and covers innovations, worldwide presence, and business partnerships.
Story and Pics by Ian Groat
