• Assessment of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic & estimated timing of economic recovery
• Rising influence of other factors: climate change, sustainable development, health & safety
• Importance of pigmentsTrends in pigment end-use applications
• Innovations & technological advances
• The world of TiO2 & coloured pigments in 2030
• Recent events in the pigment & allied industries
• Impact of legislation

Reg Adams | Chief Executive, Artikol

From the perspective of the equity market, we will provide an overview of our industry detailing some of the macro factors that impact our coverage. We'll dive into the TiO2 landscape discussion to explain the financials and characteristics of the key players. We'll close with our expectations of market dynamics factoring feedstock and TiO2 supply/demand.

Aziza Gazieva | Vice President, Fermium Research
Frank J. Mitsch | Senior Managing Director, Fermium Research

This session will address how companies have reacted during the COVID19 crisis in supply chain communication…strategy…community action etc…

Procter & Gamble has always been focused on ensuring that the products we manufacture and sell meet the demanding needs of our consumers and are manufactured with the highest quality raw materials and processes available today.  With the increasing need for product ingredient transparency coupled with advances in analytical techniques, consumer advocacy groups and NGO’s have the tools available to them today that enable detection of impurities down to the part per trillion level.  We will highlight some collaborations made with our raw material suppliers in our Baby Care business to ensure we continue to meet or exceed these standards for printed goods and demonstrate how P&G is addressing these concerns going forward.
 
Nicholas Vetter | Senior Scientist, Procter & Gamble Baby Care

Innovation is the driving force of paint and coating industry. Coatings of today are required to provide high performance attributes and are graded based on functionality. Some of the features of today’s coatings are enhanced durability, unique surface characteristics such as hydrophobicity, stain and dirt pick up resistance and temperature control ability. These traits are combined with low VOC requirements and increasing sustainability demands with renewed interest in multiple shade offerings. Colorants are an important intermediate that impact coatings’ functionality and performance. In this paper, we delve deep to understand the innovations in colorant design for their suitability in high performance coatings.
 
Kamakshi Christopher | Head of R&D, Soujanya Color

Beyond Sustainability and Forward-Thinking, Contributor of needed key elements from a colorant supplier standpoint. 

• Pre-certified NIR colorants for industrial proven recycling programs.
• What if plastic could talk? Track it, trace it and validate your own product electronically, bulletproof, still invisibly.
• Gabriel-Chemie made great steps forward to contribute for a better world with valuable plastic, since we brought NIR-Black very early into the market, multiple versions for everyone’s fit are available.
• Black and colored plastics, however, places the biggest challenge on the separation and sorting in plastics recycling. With the widespread NIR sensor technology, the near-infrared spectrum reflected by the plastic is evaluated. Each type of plastic has a characteristic spectrum and can thus be identified, sorted and finally recycled. Based on sorting techniques we adapted our masterbatch to unite with this technology.
• Since April 2021, Gabriel-Chemie has been offering, a near-infrared inspection system and COTREP certification of all Masterbatches for customers, saving time and money. Due to the current demand from various markets, this test is more and more desired for all colors. Already existing products or masterbatch can be tested as well. If NIR detection is not possible, Gabriel-Chemie has a sustainable solution on hand.

Christian Straka | Sales Manager - North & South America, Gabriel-Chemie

Panelists to be announced!

This session will feature presentations that cover trends in the paint, plastics, printing and cosmetics industries.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been used in cosmetic and personal care products for decades. It's use as a color additive and sunscreen active ingredient has made it a critical component in a range of formulations. As a color additive, TiO2 is regulated globally with region-specific requirements for purity and specifications. US and EU specifications and test methods diverge, as well as customer specific requirements, leading to a complex market environment. Effect pigments, being regulated as mixtures of TiO2 and other cosmetic additives, represent an additional challenge. In recent years, the regulation and use of Titanium dioxide has received additional attention, particularly in the EU; with an increasing amount of influence on the cosmetic market dynamics and consumer perception. The complexities of the use of titanium dioxide in cosmetic products meet at the juncture of regulation, toxicology and marketing. During this presentation, an overview of the global regulatory outlook for Titanium dioxide will be presented. An emphasis will be placed on the most current topics and industry challenges that will likely influence the continued use of Titanium dioxide in cosmetic formulations.
 
Dr Amy Ethier | Regulatory Affairs Manager, BASF Colors and Effects

The continued development of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) portend a future reality of autonomous driving. To reach that goal, the technologies most often identified for autonomous driving functionality, LiDAR and Radar, must work in concert and fit within the constraints and expectations of the automotive community. One important aspect for the success of these technological advancements is the influence of coating layering and its pigment composition. Utilizing new techniques and equipment to measure angle-specific NIR reflectivity, we will explore the impact of pigment selection and coating structure on LiDAR performance as well as the benefits of NIR functional pigments. For Radar applications, we will thoroughly analyze the influence of different pigment classifications and address the resulting market challenges involving silver metallic shades. Since all vehicle detection systems need to function cohesively, we will demonstrate the effect of Radar-necessitated pigment replacement and its suitability in LiDAR systems.
 
Andre Bendo | Technical Industry Manager, Senior Expert for Automotive Coatings , Sun Chemical

For the past twenty years, the color black has always been on the top of the automotive vehicle color popularity list. However, it is always presented a challenge to add effect to black without shifting the shade of the color. Black sparkle is what all color designers dream for… Introducing the “new black” effect pigment, which is based on aluminum oxide platelets. This will open a door of new possibilities of intense darkness with bluish black metallic sparkles to the black OEM styling.
 
Wei Liu | Senior Technical Manager for Automotive Coatings, Americas, EMD Performance Materials Corp.