Paint profits down

Keyword Coatings

H. Marcel Guest, as with most of the UK paint industry, finds less available funds for research projects as profits continue to fall. The British Coatings Federation (BCF) reports that trading profits fell by more than 10 per cent last year (1999) compared with the previous year.

Profits for predominantly industrial coatings manufacturers fell by up to 24 per cent with decorative paint firms showing a 7 per cent decline. A majority of participating firms reported lower profitability.

Unit raw material costs fell 3.4 per in the first half of 1999, but in the latter monthly purchase price data from BCF on individual materials showed price increases easily outnumbering price falls.