The 31st edition of the Middle East Coatings Show officially opened today (September 28) at Dubai Exhibition Centre (North Halls) in Expo City Dubai, bringing industry professionals, manufacturers, suppliers, and technical specialists from around the world to the show’s new home for the first time.

Providing a platform for industry professionals to source products, discover new solutions and innovations, exchange knowledge, and build business connections across the Mena coatings market, this week’s trade fair is expected to gather more than 5,000 visitors and 300 leading brands from across the coatings ecosystem, from raw materials to formulation ingredients to production equipment, said the organisers dmg events. 

The biennial show was officially opened by Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, the Director General of Dubai Municipality, alongside Ben Greenish, Executive Vice-President, dmg events, and Paddy O’Neill, Associate Vice President - Coatings at dmg events. 

The delegation later toured the exhibition floor, meeting representatives from, among others, Tawazon, BYK-Chemie, Zen FZE, Evonik, Al Nahda, Safic Alcan, Rishichem Middle East, The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Reda, Aquachemie and Petrochem, they stated.

"The exhibition is looking fantastic, and we are delighted to welcome the coatings community back to Dubai for another edition of the Middle East Coatings Show," remarked O’Neill. 

"The event continues to provide an important platform for the industry to connect, share knowledge, and explore the latest developments shaping the coatings sector across the Mena region. We would also like to thank our Gold Sponsor, BYK-Chemie, and The Lab Sponsor, Petrochem Middle East, for their continued support in bringing this year’s show to life," he added.

Knowledge, innovation, colour take centerstage

Alongside the exhibition, visitors accessed a complementary programme of technical content, product presentations, and interactive experiences - ChemTalks.

Opening today, it features more than 20 sessions across the first two days of the event, bringing together industry experts and leading exhibiting companies to discuss developments, technologies, and applications across the coatings sector.

Opening with a global paint coatings market overview by Douglas Bohn, Director - Orr & Boss, the keynote speech was followed by presentations from companies including Mitsui & Co Benelux, BYK - Paint Additives, Wacker Chemicals Middle East, FP Pigments, SI Group, and Evonik Gulf. 

In his address, Bohn said: "It was a pleasure to open ChemTalks today and connect with the Mena coatings community. The region holds significant potential within the global paints and coatings market, and its strategic position as a hub for international trade presents exciting opportunities for growth, collaboration and investment.

"Total size of the Mena paint & coatings market is estimated to be $8.7 billion. With a population of greater than 500 million people, Mena offers great potential for growth," he noted. 

The Mena per capita paint consumption is 4.25 liters per person per year versus the global average 6 liters per person per year so growing to the global average would result in a 50% increase in paint consumption, stated Bohn.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE are the largest markets and combined they are just under 50% of the Mena paint and coatings market but other markets other good opportunities as well." 

Tomorrow will continue with insights from Lanxess, Raj Speciality Additives, Covestro, DOW Materials Science, Avancechem and Westlake Epoxy, giving visitors the opportunity to hear directly from leading suppliers and service providers about their latest products and solutions, said the organisers.

Day One visitors also took part in a Colour Mixology competition, delivered in collaboration with Trycolors and running across the three days. Participants are challenged to recreate a specified target colour by selecting from a range of colours. The fastest competitor to successfully replicate the colour each day will be crowned Colour Mixology Champion and take home a prize, they added.-TradeArabia News Service