Date: Jan 12, 2012 Author: press release Source: Company Data (
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BOSTON, MA -- January 12, 2012 -- The protective coatings market continues to be driven by extreme
cost sensitivities and increasing environmental and regulatory considerations, even though its products have great potential to reduce inefficiency and degradation of industrial equipment caused by friction, corrosion and fouling, according to a Lux Research report titled, "Fighting Corrosion, Friction, and Fouling: The Power of Protective Coatings." To see which companies are best positioned to prosper in the current market environment, Lux Research applied the Lux Innovation Grid to rate materials developers.
"Users must strike the right balance between performance concerns along with industry factors
including cost tolerance, regulatory drivers, throughput, volume, and qualification timelines," said Ross Kozarsky, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report. "While a variety of other approaches exist, using coatings to address these problems builds resistance into the equipment itself and can limit consumables, maintenance, and environmental impact."
Lux researchers positioned specialists in novel coating materials, manufacturing methods, and
deposition processes on the Lux Innovation Grid based on their Technical Value and Business Execution --companies that are strong on both axes reach the "Dominant" quadrant. Lux also assessed each company's maturity, and provided an overall Lux Take. Among their conclusions:
• Modumetal joins Integran in making the electroplated metals space sizzle. With its
nanolaminate approach, Modumetal has made significant headway to find a place in the
"Dominant" quadrant. Over the past year, it has begun a joint venture with Steel Dynamics,
added Siemens as a customer, and ramped up a full production line.
• MesoCoat rises as the chrome alternative option. MesoCoat's technical potential — thermally
sprayed nanocomposite ceramic‐metallic (cermet) coatings and metal claddings as alternatives
to toxic chrome -- combined with its significant business progress over the past year, including adeal with Petrobras, has brought it to the threshold of the "Dominant" quadrant.
• Nanogate tops polymer coating developers. With an IP chest fortified by the acquisition of
Gesellschaft für Oberflächentechnik, sol‐gel polymer coating developer Nanogate Technologies
beats the competition on both technical value and business execution. Its partnerships with
Clariant, Dow Corning, Bosch and GEA Air Treatment have helped make it a formidable player.
• I‐Tech is an intriguing "High‐Potential" candidate. In the marine industry, there's huge
potential for anti‐fouling coatings because of their ability to boost fuel efficiency. Sweden‐based I‐Tech is developing a new coating based on medetomidine -- best known for its use as an animal sedative but also offering 300 times the anti‐fouling activity of incumbent cuprous oxide paints. Its business execution doesn't yet match its high technical value score, placing it in the "High‐ Potential" quadrant.
The report, titled "Fighting Corrosion, Friction, and Fouling: The Power of Protective Coatings," is part of the Lux Research Advanced Materials Intelligence service.
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