On September 19, the highly anticipated "2025 Guangdong Province Powder Coating Industry High-Quality Development Conference and Annual Meeting of Guangdong Province Powder Coating Industry Technology Innovation Alliance" was grandly held at the Sheraton Hotel in Dongguan. The conference, themed "Green Intelligence Empowerment, Powering New Journey," deeply explored future trends, technological innovation, policy guidance, and market opportunities in the powder coating industry, aiming to jointly explore new pathways for high-quality development of the powder coating sector.
The conference was organized by the Guangdong Province Powder Coating Industry Technology Innovation Alliance and Qingtian Materials Technology Co., Ltd., co-hosted by the Guangdong Province Coatings and Inks Industry Association, and undertaken by Dongguan Aiyue Metal Powder Co., Ltd. The China Chemical Society Coatings and Coating Professional Committee and China National Institute of Standardization provided guidance for the event.
During the technical forum segment, multiple experts, scholars, and industry elites delivered outstanding presentations. Among them, Qiu Deyong, General Manager of HC Group's Overseas Business Division, delivered a speech titled "Digital Export, Global Trade - New Growth Path for Powder Coating Enterprises' Foreign Trade," combining global industry data with enterprise practices to provide in-depth analysis of opportunities and challenges for powder coating companies going global, while proposing targeted solutions that attracted widespread attention from attendees.
According to Qiu, statistics show that global powder coating production reached approximately 4.74 million tons in 2024, with a market value of $14.14 billion. From a global industry perspective, a clear landscape has emerged: "China as the core, Europe and America in high-end markets, and emerging markets catching up." In 2024, the Asia-Pacific region's powder coating market value reached $5.7 billion, accounting for 40.3% of the global market. China, leveraging its complete industrial chain support (with domestic production rates exceeding 80% for polyester resins and coating equipment) and cost advantages, has become the global core for powder coating production and consumption.
North America and Europe each recorded market values of $2.3 billion, representing 16.3% each. These regions occupy high-value-added markets through their technological expertise in high-end specialty powder coatings for aerospace, medical equipment, and other sectors. Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other emerging markets are driving rapid growth in general-purpose powder coating consumption through infrastructure development needs, becoming new incremental spaces for the industry.
Despite the broad prospects for global expansion, Qiu also pointed out four core challenges facing Chinese powder coating companies in their internationalization process: First, unclear market selection and positioning, making it difficult to precisely match demand differences across regions; Second, high overseas certification barriers, with complex standards such as EU REACH and US FDA requirements resulting in high compliance costs for enterprises; Third, weak customer acquisition and brand promotion capabilities, with traditional foreign trade models struggling to reach target customers and insufficient international brand recognition; Fourth, lack of systematic customer operation mechanisms, making it difficult to achieve long-term retention and repeat purchases from overseas customers.
Addressing these pain points, Qiu introduced the solution of "Foreign Trade Six Systems": Building a multi-channel customer acquisition matrix through "Foreign Trade Platform + Independent Website Dual System"; Strengthening overseas brand communication through "YouTube Video Marketing System" and "Social Media Content Marketing System"; Improving customer acquisition efficiency through "Precision Advertising System"; Optimizing customer interface processes through "Form Inquiry Conversion System"; and providing full-process support through "Professional Team Operation System." From customer acquisition and conversion to customer operations, this creates an integrated digital export system for powder coating enterprises, helping companies lower export barriers and improve foreign trade growth efficiency.
The conference also received strong support and active participation from numerous co-organizing units, including Dongguan Meichen Nanomaterial Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Zehe Chemical Materials Research and Development Co., Ltd., Lu'an Jetongda New Materials Co., Ltd., Yantai Donghui Powder Equipment Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Xinbabai Technology Co., Ltd., Guangdong Shunjing Software Technology Co., Ltd., Evonik Specialty Chemicals (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Jiangxi Yunchang New Materials Co., Ltd., Dongguan Suoshi New Materials Co., Ltd., Yantai Ouguan Powder Equipment Co., Ltd., Shandong Fugao Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Heshan Xingyue Polymer Materials Co., Ltd., Dongguan Qitian Instrument Co., Ltd., Yantai Wanheng Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., Foshan Kelideng New Materials Co., Ltd., Xiamen Sanyoude Materials Development Co., Ltd., and Yantai Lingyu Machinery Co., Ltd.
The conference venue was bustling with activity as guests from across the powder coating industry's upstream and downstream sectors gathered together, engaging in enthusiastic discussions and jointly exploring new pathways for industry development.