Role of paints, printing inks, and artist colours’
All of our distinct sectors (see applications) make outstanding contributions to our lives. Paints and coatings provide aesthetic appeal and act as a protective barrier to natural weathering and microbiological degradation for all kinds of substrates (surfaces), thereby extending the lifecycle, safety and performance of products and constructions. Inks are an important medium of communication, education, and decoration in our society. Artists’ colours are a core means of art, with which visually stunning pieces can be created for others to appreciate and learn about.
Key facts & figures
CEPE represents about 800 member companies across Europe which stand for 85% of the market value with an estimated annual turnover of €17 billion. The 100,000 direct employees predominantly work in small and medium size companies (SME).
Market segments
The products of the paint industry can be divided into two major segments: decorative paints and industrial coatings. Decorative wall and wood paints are the classical consumer product. Industrial high-performance coatings include automotive and aerospace paints, coil coatings, powder coatings, marine paints and general industrial coatings. Key target markets for the ink sector are the publication and packaging industries. Artist colours as well are a classical consumer product.
Product components
While consumers experience a colour, today’s paints are manufactured by mixing many different ingredients in well-balanced proportion. From a technical point of view: paints typically consist of a binder, colouring pigments, a filler, solvents, and additives such as driers, preservatives, etc. Given the wide variety of substrates (surfaces) and of technological requirements, our industry uses the whole range of appropriate chemical substances.