MARKETS AND GROWTH

From the mid seventies, overall growth in the industry has been characteristic of a mature market. Total volume growth has been around 1.6% per annum, however, growth within specific categories of paint have varied greatly. In the USA, the growth rate over the same period has been around 3% p.a. In Asia, it has been between 5-7%.
Paint production in Australia can be broadly divided into two main segments:

• · architectural and decorative, or building paints which account for 58% of total production and
• · industrial paints and coatings which account for 42%.
• Industrial coatings are usually formulated to meet the specific needs of customers. The value of this market, for 1995 is estimated at $520 million. The architectural and decorative market for 1993/94 will probably be in the region of $657 million.