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tal solutions such as data analytics to optimise the delivery are deemed to be posing a biosecurity risk by bringing in of re? nish coatings to match the customers’ maintenance harmful invasive species. However, assessing this is dif? - schedules. Jotun is an excellent example, and is using ves- cult and dangerous. AkzoNobel identi? ed a way in which sel Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) data from DNV GL to the biosecurity of a vessel could be inferred from other ship- optimize deliveries. ping data. By creating this service, AkzoNobel has created a digital product that it can sell to a brand new customer base

Digital Product – ports. The company’s success lies in identifying an impor-

For coating companies accustomed to a business model tant data need – in this case, the growing scrutiny on biosecu- built on formulating coatings, the idea of a digital product rity within the shipping industry. can be an alien one. The effects are being felt ? rst in indus- As the industry’s digital transformation continues, other tries such as automotive re? nish, where digital color-match- such innovative solutions are sure to appear. ing tools offer real synergies with the paint. For more information visit:

But color is just one property of a coating. Could a digital https://store.frost.com/global-digital-transformation-in- product be developed to complement other aspect of a coat- paints-and-coatings-2019.html ings performance? Absolutely.

The Author

One example is DryDoQ Insights from AkzoNobel, a digi- tal product that supports the ability of a coating to provide

Balmer surface protection. Launched in May 2019, the solution is

Brian Balmer is Industry Director for per- formance materials research at Frost & aimed at the shipping industry, where the maintenance cycle

Sullivan. He has 20 years of experience of protective coatings is a critical part of operations. Ak- researching coatings and related materi- zoNobel’s tool enables predictive maintenance and uses digi- als markets. tal technology to link the real-life operations of a ? eet to the requirements for a fresh layer of paint.

Digital Customers

The use of digital technologies by the marine industry itself will have a huge knock-on effect on the coatings sector too.

The development of ISO 19030 in particular has seen a rapid surge in the use of digital technology by the industry. One as- pect of digitalization is in monitoring a ship’s fuel ef? ciency.

One of the biggest contributors to ef? ciency is the marine paint used on the hull. All leading suppliers of marine coat- ings have developed a digital concept. These include Jotun’s

Hull Performance Solutions, AkzoNobel’s Intertrac Vision, and SHAPE from Hempel.

Digital Marketing

As the marine coating industry continues its digital trans- formation, it is clear that a huge amount of data can be gener- ated by monitoring the condition of a coating. Data not just about the coating, but about the asset that is being protected.

Coatings companies can gain a great deal of insight into the performance of their customers’ highly secure assets.

Coatings must be trusted to protect customers’ assets, and coatings companies also have a responsibility to ensure the security of customer data.

To date, most of this data has been used for the bene? t of either the coating producer or the asset owner. However, it is also possible to use the data for the bene? t of others. An excellent example of this is a solution being developed by

AkzoNobel – PortShield.

Ships are now starting to be turned away from ports if they www.marinelink.com 29

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