What does the North American market signify for AkzoNobel in 2024?
TR: For 2024 and beyond, AkzoNobel North America is significantly enhancing its presence, particularly with our recent investments in powder coatings. Our strategy focuses on producing and manufacturing directly within America for the American market, which is crucial for us. This expansion is not just about enhancing our industrial coatings' footprint but also about emphasizing the quality and safety of our specialty automotive and aerospace products. For aerospace specifically, it is vital that we maintain consistent, high-quality materials for our products that travel globally, like to the Asia Pacific region, for example.
How does AkzoNobel innovate in the coatings industry, particularly for aviation?
TR:
The core of our innovation lies in ensuring the safety and integrity of aircraft surfaces through advanced coating solutions that protect against corrosion and wear. This is critical for maintaining the aircraft's safety and aesthetic qualities like the vividness of colors and the gloss of the finish, which is part of our customer's branding.
Our developments in product formulations and application techniques allow for longer periods between necessary repaints, which is a substantial cost benefit.
MG: Over the last decade, we have shifted towards a base coat, clear coat system, which is more durable and provides better UV resistance and gloss retention compared to older monocoat systems. This technology, inspired by advancements in the automotive industry, ensures that the paint's color and gloss are preserved longer on aircraft. Our Aerofleet Coatings Management system leverages this technology by enabling predictive maintenance, helping our clients manage the lifecycle of their aircraft coatings more efficiently, leading to substantial cost savings and better resource utilization.
Could you discuss the specifics of the Aerofleet Coatings Management system and how it integrates emerging technologies?
MG: Aerofleet Coatings Management is essentially a fleet monitoring and predictive maintenance program designed to help maximize the life of aircraft paint jobs using data-driven insights. Initially, our system enhanced the objectivity of inspections through digital tools that integrate quantitative data like color correctness and film thickness. We've further innovated by partnering with a drone company to perform automated inspections that capture detailed images analyzed by AI for consistent and accurate defect detection. This integration of data and technology facilitates a predictive maintenance approach, enabling customized repaint schedules based on each aircraft’s specific usage and conditions.
How important is coatings to the longevity of an airplane?
MG: Coatings play a crucial role not only in the longevity of an airplane but also in shaping the brand image of major airlines like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. These companies value their livery highly because it affects how customers perceive their brand and feel about their assets. A clean, pristine-looking aircraft makes passengers feel comfortable and confident about their travel choice, directly impacting the airline's marketing and customer satisfaction.
What is the use case of virtual reality in the coatings industry, and how has it benefited you financially and in terms of sustainability?
MG: Virtual reality (VR) has become a transformative tool in the coatings industry, particularly in the training of new technicians. There has been a surge in air travel, post-COVID, and an increased demand for efficient use of assets. VR allows us to train new painters more effectively, addressing the challenge of high turnover and the entrance of less experienced workers into the workforce. This technology not only enhances training efficiency but also significantly reduces waste, as it eliminates the need for actual paint in the training process, thereby supporting our sustainability goals.
The VR system we use simulates the actual painting process, enabling trainees to practice without the risks and costs associated with traditional paint training. Trainees can repeatedly practice techniques such as spray gun speed, distance, and overlap without the downtime of waiting for paint to dry or the need to reset their work physically. This system not only speeds up the training process but also enhances safety by removing exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and reduces the environmental impact by eliminating paint waste and the need for solvent-based gun cleaning.
Given the technological advancements in coatings, how easily can this expertise be transferred across different sectors within AkzoNobel?
TR: In North America, we share the innovations and best practices across different business units within AkzoNobel, including aerospace, automotive, commercial vehicles, and marine and protective coatings. This collaboration enhances our ability to innovate and expand our technologies, like our base coat, clear coat systems, and fouling control coatings. By leveraging these shared technologies and insights, we enhance our product offerings across different industries and continue to improve our sustainability practices.
What future innovations are you most excited about for AkzoNobel in the aviation industry?
TR: Looking ahead, we are particularly excited about continuing to innovate in ways that reduce the carbon footprint of our products and processes. Our ongoing development in paint technologies, such as those that do not require added energy to cure, promises to revolutionize the industry by significantly reducing the downtime associated with aircraft painting.
What do you see as the biggest potential challenge that could impact reaching your targets in the next few years?
TR: The biggest opportunity we face is ensuring that we can adapt and execute our strategies with the necessary speed and efficiency. The market for air travel, particularly in North America, is robust and our success hinges on our ability to efficiently meet the evolving needs of our customers and focus on enhancing our operational agility to better support diverse needs across different locations. We will do this through further enhancing our technical capabilities as we continue delivering innovative, high-quality products that align with the industry's safety standards.
