Based on recent market developments, what coating technologies are attracting the attention of overseas customers?

In recent interactions with overseas customers, we have clearly observed a shift: the focus is gradually moving away from price alone toward technical performance and long-term stability. Rather than simply asking “how much does it cost," more and more customers are repeatedly confirming “how stable can the performance be" and “whether long-term operation is controllable."

This shift is not accidental, but rather the result of combined influences from market conditions, regulatory requirements, and the upgrading of manufacturing models.

Traditionally, meeting basic anti-corrosion requirements was considered sufficient. However, in today’s market environment, customer expectations for coating performance are rising significantly. In sectors such as automotive, photovoltaics, and outdoor applications, more customers are using salt spray testing duration as a key benchmark—moving from a few hundred hours in the past to increasingly higher standards.

In actual discussions, customers no longer simply ask, “Can you provide zinc-aluminum coatings?" Instead, they follow up with questions like “How many hours can be consistently achieved?" and “Is performance consistent across batches?" This indicates that one-time compliance is no longer enough—stability and consistency have become the core concerns.

With tightening environmental regulations in overseas markets, the selection of coating technologies is undergoing structural changes. Processes that were previously performance-driven but carried environmental burdens are gradually being replaced by more compliant alternatives.

Customers now proactively evaluate whether a process meets local environmental standards and whether it supports sustainable application. These considerations are no longer “add-ons," but prerequisites that directly determine whether a project can proceed.

As order structures become more diversified, multi-variant, small-batch production is becoming the norm. This trend places higher demands on production line flexibility.

During discussions, customers frequently focus on questions such as: “Can different product specifications be processed on the same line?" and “Does switching between models require frequent downtime for adjustments?" If each changeover requires significant setup time, it not only reduces efficiency but also increases overall costs. As a result, flexible and adaptable production line design is becoming a key competitive advantage.

Rising labor costs and workforce uncertainty are driving customers to reduce reliance on manual operations. Against this backdrop, automation levels and production line stability have become critical factors in evaluating coating technologies.

Customers are not only concerned about whether equipment is automated, but also whether it remains stable and reliable over long-term operation—for example, whether cycle times are balanced, failure rates are controllable, and production processes are predictable. These factors directly impact overall operational efficiency.

It is evident that overseas customers’ focus has expanded from individual processes to the overall performance of the entire production line. Compared with isolated technical advantages, system-level solution capabilities are becoming increasingly important.

In response to this shift, Junhe has placed greater emphasis on holistic optimization in project execution. In production line design, digitalization and flexible structures are applied to enable mixed-model production, reducing time loss caused by frequent changeovers. In process optimization, parameter and cycle-time adjustments help improve coating consistency and material utilization. At the same time, automation is integrated to reduce manual intervention and enhance overall operational stability.

While these improvements may not be immediately visible in the short term, they often lead to more stable quality performance and better cost control over long-term operation.

From recent market developments, it is clear that the competitive logic of the coating industry is evolving. Customers are no longer asking simply “Can it be done?" but rather “Can it be done consistently and reliably over the long term?"

Behind this shift lies higher expectations for technical capability, manufacturing systems, and operational sustainability.

For companies, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Those who can better understand these changes and continuously optimize and implement solutions in real projects will be more likely to gain a competitive advantage in the new market landscape.