The China Coatings and Ink Summit, held in Shanghai on May 19, 2026, sent a noteworthy signal: the industrial coatings sector is shifting its focus from standalone product performance to the integrated convergence of AI, smart manufacturing, industrial corrosion protection, and green coating technologies.

In particular, in industrial applications such as container coating, trends like water-based formulations, powder coatings, AI‑driven quality inspection, closed-loop film‑thickness control, and robotic management systems are frequently highlighted. This indicates that customers are no longer concerned solely with “how well this coating performs,” but rather with whether the entire coating system can operate reliably, comply with regulations, and deliver high efficiency.

Why can’t industrial coatings be judged solely by their formulation?

In the past, competition in industrial anti-corrosion coatings often focused on metrics such as resin type, pigments and fillers, salt-spray resistance, adhesion, and weatherability. While these factors remain important, they are no longer sufficient.

Once on the shop floor, the factors affecting coating quality are often far more complex: whether substrate preparation is adequate, whether the application window remains stable, whether film thickness is controllable, whether curing conditions are properly matched, whether inspection data is traceable, and whether follow-up maintenance is in place.

Key insight: The value of industrial coatings is shifting from “product specifications” to “application outcomes.”

What is the real battleground in the competition for waterborne industrial coatings?

Against the backdrop of low-VOC coatings and environmental compliance emerging as long-term trends, industrial waterborne coatings are being re-evaluated by an increasing number of customers.

However, water-based conversion is not as simple as replacing solvent-based coatings with waterborne ones. What customers really care about is: Can the corrosion‑protection performance meet the demands of the application environment? Will construction efficiency be compromised? Can on‑site personnel master the new system? Do equipment adjustments need to be made? And can quality deviations be detected promptly?

Therefore, the next frontier in competition for waterborne industrial coatings lies not merely in formulation sophistication, but in a company’s ability to deliver end-to-end industrial coating solutions—covering product selection, application guidance, on-site commissioning, testing and validation, and after-sales service.

Why are AI and smart manufacturing making their way into paint‑coating operations?

Trends such as AI‑driven quality inspection, closed-loop coating‑thickness control, and robotic management systems all essentially address one fundamental question: how to reduce uncertainty in the painting process.

Industrial anti-corrosion coatings are typically applied in complex environments, where even minor variations in any process step can compromise the final protective performance. Intelligent coating systems are not merely about “looking advanced”; they are designed to make film thickness, defect detection, cycle time, quality data, and process management more controllable.

Key insight: In the future, the capabilities of industrial coating systems will increasingly hinge on the synergy among materials, processes, equipment, and data.

How does Holy Hong interpret this round of change?

Focusing on industrial waterborne coatings, industrial protective coatings, graphene-based heavy-duty anti-corrosion coating systems, and specialty functional coatings, Holy Hong (Dalian) New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. is committed not only to delivering individual products but also to ensuring long-term performance in real-world applications.

This means that companies must integrate low-VOCs, environmental compliance, industrial corrosion protection, construction stability, quality inspection, and on-site services into a unified capability framework.

Meanwhile, the intelligent coatings factory in Dalian Songmudao Chemical Industrial Park will also serve as a crucial pillar for Holy Hong’s future capabilities in green manufacturing, consistent quality, and systematic delivery. Its value should not be confined to production‑site deployment; rather, it should be seen as strategic support for the company’s upgrade of its industrial coating system capabilities.

A reminder for the customer

When selecting industrial anti-corrosion coatings, you shouldn’t base your decision solely on the unit price or on a single laboratory‑tested performance metric.

Even more noteworthy: Does the supplier fully understand your operating conditions? Can they deliver a tailored industrial coating solution? Do they offer capabilities in water-based substitution, environmental compliance, process stability, quality inspection, and long-term service support?

The next round of competition in the industrial coatings sector is not just about formulations; it’s about coating system capabilities. For us at Holy Hong, what truly matters is continuously transforming our industrial waterborne coatings, graphene-based heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings, and intelligent manufacturing capabilities into tangible, reliable, and sustainable on-site value for our customers.

Holy Hong (Dalian) New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. is an environmentally friendly enterprise that integrates the R&D, production, sales, and engineering construction of graphene-based heavy-duty anti-corrosion coatings and waterborne industrial paints. Holy Hong focuses on waterborne industrial protective coatings and graphene-based heavy-duty anti-corrosion coating systems, providing solutions for customers in the petrochemical, port and offshore engineering, bridge and municipal, and heavy equipment sectors—addressing long-term protection challenges under conditions of high salt spray, high humidity and heat, intense ultraviolet radiation, chemical media corrosion, and stringent environmental compliance requirements.