Even though we are (hopefully) nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the coatings industry is still being felt. Safety concerns for workers and supply issues remain a top priority. In this month’s article on industrial coatings, manufacturers spoke about the importance of maintaining safety standards and securing and maintaining a reliable supply chain.

Chris Bradford, AkzoNobel’s global marketing director for Industrial Coatings said, “our priority is to keep our employees, their families and our partners safe and well. We are closely monitoring the pandemic situation and taking all necessary measures. We fully support and follow national and local government requirements. We are also taking all reasonable steps to continue serving our customers and maintain business continuity. Our sourcing team is working closely with our suppliers to proactively manage our raw material supply. We are monitoring and managing the extent and duration of any local requirements impacting/related to our physical locations. As the situation continues to evolve, we are constantly adapting our actions.”

Dave Heflin, VP of Industrial Coatings, Americas, at Axalta also noted the importance of maintaining the safety of employees. He also stressed the importance of  checking in with customers more frequently. “Things were changing so quickly, and so too were the needs of our customers. Staying on top of market conditions, industry trends, and having a continuous dialogue with them gave us valuable insight as to how we could best support them in such a dynamic environment. We also believe that developing new technologies, capabilities and tools to better serve our customers during these unique times is extremely critical. Whether it’s tools developed to virtually service a customer’s operations during a time of restricted travel and visits or technology that provides value added improvements for our customer’s operations or end products, we are focused on developing innovative, value-added solutions for our customers.”

Kevin Braun, VP global industrial coatings at PPG, also stressed the importance of the health and safety of employees and their families: “…we are continuously taking measures in accordance with global and regional government requirements. We’ve identified ways to safely and effectively deliver for our customers while prioritizing the health and safety of our workforce. We have adjusted our operations to comply with government guidelines, and the company has adapted operations to account for fluid economic activity.”