Conferences, Trade Shows, Tours and Events

Over the past few months, Products Finishing has embraced a wealth of travel opportunities, spanning conferences, trade shows, facility tours and legislative events, all aimed at engaging with the finishing community and industry at large.

In April, PF attended Paint Expo 2024 in Karlsruhe Germany, marking a return to the event after several years.  The show was missed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and again in 2022 following a personal loss in my family.

Personally, attending Paint Expo for the first time, I was struck by the immense scale of the event, spanning three expansive halls at the Karlsruhe Messe. The exhibitor booths were grand, showcasing impressive displays and presentations.

One of PF’s primary objectives at Paint Expo was to get out of our own backyard and gain a global perspective on trends shaping the surface finishing industry today. We were interested to learn more about the role industrial coatings are playing on the global stage within the manufacturing industry at large.

One trend that was immediately apparent was the wealth of automation solutions at Paint Expo, with a vast majority of the booths featuring robots or advanced programmable technologies. Additionally, there was a notable emphasis on coatings tailored for electrification, addressing the needs of electric vehicles and consumer electronics, with exhibitors highlighting products geared toward conductivity and shielding.

This trend toward electrification was reiterated during a facility visit with industrial cleaning systems provider LPW Reinigungssysteme GmbH (Riederich, Germany). The facility’s general manager Gerhard Koblenzer gave us a tour and shared his insights into how cleaning solutions are enabling today’s emerging applications. With manufacturing trends toward electrification, the need for high purity solutions is growing exponentially. Koblenzer says that approximately 60% of LPW’s business now focuses on high-purity cleaning and technical cleanliness.

With these trends accelerating at a rapid pace, especially in international markets, it’s important for finishers to pay attention to the latest innovations and developments — international trade fairs such as Paint Expo offer great opportunities for staying on top of the latest. Check out a recent episode of PF’s On the Line podcast where I sit down with Gardner VP of Finishing and Valve media Todd Luciano to recap some of the great things we saw at Paint Expo 2024. short.pfonline.com/OTL43

Speaking of exploring the finishing industry from a global point of view, over the past year PF has occasionally included articles that offer insights from other markets. Make sure to check out PF Senior Editor Lori Beckman’s latest “international perspective” article about a how one South Africa-based barrel plating company stays profitable in a volatile and challenging economy. See page 26.

In early May, Beckman attended the Women in Finishing forum in Orlando, an event designed by the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI, Lakewood Ranch, Fla) for all women involved in the industrial finishing industry from the finishing line to executive management. The forum features a variety of industry and professional development sessions along with networking and team building activities. Check out this month’s Photo Finish column for a peek at this year’s WIF plant tour.

Also, in early May, PF participated in the Metal Finishing Association of California’s (MFACA) legislation day, which was designed to give metal finishing operations in the State of California an opportunity to bring their concerns to the attention of their state representatives. Check out PF’s latest On the Line interview column, offering a recap of the event from MFACA Executive Director Bryan Leiker and Legislative Advisor Jerry Desmond about the event.

It's been an exciting spring and the year has so much more in store in terms of industry events, networking opportunities and more. In fact, at the time of this writing PF is gearing up for SUR/FIN in Atlanta the first week in June. We hope to see you there!