Driven by the continuous growth of construction machinery sales, the Chinese coatings industry is ushering in a new round of development opportunities. In 2024, the sales volume of major construction machinery products reached 1.7891 million units, and it is expected to exceed 1.8606 million units by the end of 2025. The steady increase in downstream demand directly drives the market expansion of industrial coatings, especially high-performance coatings. At the same time, the deepening of environmental policies and breakthroughs in domestic technology are accelerating the transformation of the coatings industry from "scale expansion" to "high-quality development". This article analyzes the upgrading path of China's coating industry from the three core trends of high performance, environmental protection, and localization.
High performance coatings: defining new industry value
The performance requirements for coatings in high-end fields such as engineering machinery, automobiles, and ships have been upgraded from "basic protection" to "functional integration". The current market demand is focused on: super weather resistance and corrosion resistance: adapting to extreme weather and complex working conditions, extending equipment service life.
Functional innovation: such as self-healing coatings (automatically repairing microcracks), antibacterial coatings (for medical/food equipment applications), etc., opening up premium space through technological differentiation.
Lightweight matching: Low density coatings help reduce weight and save energy in aerospace and new energy vehicles.
Industry Trends: International giants such as PPG and AkzoNobel continue to increase their R&D investment, while domestic companies such as Sankeshu and Xiangjiang Coatings have achieved import substitution in segmented fields such as wind turbine blade coatings and nuclear power protective coatings through industry university research cooperation. The gross profit margin of high-performance coatings is generally over 30% higher than that of traditional products, becoming the core engine for enterprise profit growth.
Environmental Protection: Dual Drivers of Policy and Consumption Upgrade
Under the "dual carbon" goal, the environmental transformation of the coating industry has shifted from an "optional action" to a "mandatory question":
Policy driven: The new national standard is tightening the limit standards for VOCs, and solvent based coatings are gradually withdrawing from the construction and industrial coating markets.
Technological iteration: Water based coatings (accounting for 45%) and powder coatings (solvent-free, zero VOCs) have become mainstream alternative solutions, especially in container manufacturing, steel structures, and other fields where the penetration rate has exceeded 60%.
Consumer preference: Green certification (such as the "Ten Ring Logo") has become a bonus point for engineering bidding, promoting B-end customers to prioritize environmentally friendly coatings.
Localization: A Breakthrough War from Following to Leading
For a long time, the high-end paint market has been dominated by foreign brands (such as the foreign market share of automotive original paint exceeding 70%), but this pattern is loosening:
Technical independence: domestic enterprises narrow the gap with the international market in high-end anti-corrosion coatings, electronic inks and other fields through acquisition (such as Mount Huangshan Yongjia's acquisition of French Hutchinson coatings) and independent research and development.
Industrial chain collaboration: The localization rate of upstream raw materials (such as resins and pigments) is increased, reducing production costs while ensuring supply chain security.
Localized services: Response speed and customized solutions have become the core competitiveness of domestic coatings, such as seizing opportunities in emerging scenarios such as new energy battery pack protection and photovoltaic bracket weather resistant coatings.
在线客服