Aerospace coatings: a growing market
"We see a steady global growth in the aerospace market", says Jim Rowbotham. We spoke with the managing director of Pexa about the situation on the market, challenges and opportunities.
How do you rate the market for aerospace coatings worldwide?
Jim Rowbotham: The market is relatively small at less than 1 % of the global coatings market. Estimates vary between EUR 0.9 and 1.8 billion. The market is dominated by five large producers and does not encourage the easy entrance of further players, due to its size vs. complexity. We see a steady global growth in the market of 5 to 6 % per year for the next eight years. The root cause of this growth is the worldwide increase in travel. There is a backlog of 14,000 large commercial jets in the order books of the airplane manufacturers. Therefore, it is a steady, high-value growing market.
Jim Rowbotham
Managing director, Pexa
What are the opportunities for aerospace coatings in Europe?
Rowbotham: Europe holds a share of some 30 to 40 % of the entire aerospace coatings market. The activities here are heavily influenced by the OEM business due to the legacy of important aircraft engineering companies located in Europe. MRO, (maintenance and repair organisations), comprise the other major part of the market. In the Asia region MRO is a larger proportion of the market than in Europe. As you know we have recently partnered with Nycote who produce nylon-based coatings for both OEM and MRO application.
What are the challenges in the European market aerospace coatings market?
Rowbotham: Mostly economic challenges prevail, such as the demand for a quicker throughput of production, quicker curing times and easier application. Technical improvements such as lighter weight and extended durability are important. Additionally, REACH is a huge challenge in the market. The sunset date for key chromates on 22 January 2019 is approaching. The implications of this legislation on the future use and availability of coatings based on chromates is a significant challenge for aerospace coatings suppliers.
