The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter for the second year in a row, with revised data showing thatreal GDP declined by 0.7 percent. This was down from an earlier estimate of 0.2 percent growth. Overall, this was a disappointing start to 2015. That is particularly true when you look at the optimism that many businesses had at the start of the year. Yet, manufacturers faced a number of significant headwinds in recent months, including weaknesses abroad, a strong U.S. dollar, lower crude oil prices, the residual effects of the West Coast ports slowdown, bad weather in some regions of the country and a still-cautious consumer.

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PCI® Committees are making great strides in pushing our association forward. One worthy of mention is the Industry Communications Committee, chair...

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Powder coating wood substrates is nothing new. Specifically, powder coatings have been applied to medium density fiberboard (MDF) since the late 1990s...

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“In just three years in my position as Executive Director of the Powder Coating Institute, I cannot count the number of times I have heard some ...

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COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the fifth consecutive year, Axalta Coating Systems, one of the leading global suppliers of liquid and powder coatings, has taken part in a 1,000km bike ride to raise money for Kom op tegen Kanker, a leading Belgian cancer charity.

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This report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the powder coatings market in Italy for the period 2015-2019. The report also provides data on the different segments of the market, which are based on the following criteria: type (thermoset powder coatings that include polyester, epoxy-polyester, epoxy, and acrylic powder coatings; and thermoplastic powder coatings that include PVC, nylon, and other thermoplastic powder coatings); substrate (metals, plastics, and wood); and application (appliances, automotive, general industry, architecture and construction, and other applications).

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The minutes of the April 28–29 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting highlighted the nuance that many of us see in the economy right now. The Federal Reserve highlighted a number of challenges facing consumers and businesses in the early months of 2015, noting how these headwinds have dampened overall activity year-to-date. On the other hand, the FOMC felt that slowing economic growth was largely due to “transitory factors,” with its outlook mostly unchanged for the rest of this year. The Federal Reserve projects growth of 2.3 to 2.7 percent in 2015, and it expects the unemployment rate to fall to 5.0 to 5.2 percent.  

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Trojan Powder Coating introduces their third outpost, Trojan Architectural Coaters Inc., recently opened in Pompano Beach, Fla.

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Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, celebrates 50 years of Nap-Gard® fusion bonded epoxy thermosetting coatings. Since 1960, Nap-Gard FBE grades have been used from the coldest regions of Alaska to the hottest regions of the Middle East. Nap-Gard remains a worldwide leader of the standard practices for coating pipe with epoxy and the innovator behind today’s pipe coating practices.

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One of the larger headlines of the past week was the renewed strength of the euro, which closed at $1.1449 on Friday. To put that exchange rate in perspective, the euro traded for $1.0582 on April 13, and Friday’s close was the highest level for the euro since February 2. To be fair, the U.S. dollar remains strong against the euro, up 17.8 percent since May 6, 2014. Yet, the recent weakness in the dollar (and strength in the euro) has been the result of weaker-than-expected economic data in the United States and better-than-anticipated numbers coming out of Europe. Many of the underlying long-term fundamentals in these two regions remain the same, but those manufacturers worried about the negative impact of a soaring dollar got some welcome relief last week in the recent easing of the greenback.

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