The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by sustainability, luxurious interiors and increased vehicle usage, and growing importance of technologies such as nano ceramic coating and UV cured coating. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.2 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Automotive: Epoxy resin coatings. Buy the report here.

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Data Insights Innovation in Automotive: Epoxy resin coatings

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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

290+ innovations will shape the automotive industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the automotive industry using innovation intensity models built on over 619,000 patents, there are 290+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, resilient spoke wheels, auto-transmission lubrication circuits, and ignition switching engines are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Engine purge actuators, electro-dynamic braking, and adsorptive vapour recovery system estimation are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are collision avoidance braking control system and direct injection type engines, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry

Epoxy resin coatings is a key innovation area in automotive

An epoxy coating consists of two distinct elements: an epoxy resin and a polyamine hardener or catalyst. When mixed, they create a chemical reaction and generate cross-linking of the elements as the mixture cures. A durable rigid plastic coating with various desirable mechanical properties is formed when the epoxy coating is fully cured.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 40 companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of epoxy resin coatings.

Key players in epoxy resin coatings – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to epoxy resin coatings

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
LG 152 Unlock Company Profile
Furukawa Electric 109 Unlock Company Profile
Nitto Denko 100 Unlock Company Profile
Zephyros 74 Unlock Company Profile
Dexerials 63 Unlock Company Profile
Henkel & Co 58 Unlock Company Profile
Sekisui Chemical 55 Unlock Company Profile
Toray Industries 48 Unlock Company Profile
Bridgestone 38 Unlock Company Profile
Sika 36 Unlock Company Profile
DuPont de Nemours 33 Unlock Company Profile
3M 26 Unlock Company Profile
Lintec 21 Unlock Company Profile
Ajinomoto 20 Unlock Company Profile
Kaneka 15 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 15 Unlock Company Profile
General Motors 12 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 11 Unlock Company Profile
Boeing 11 Unlock Company Profile
Xerox Holdings 10 Unlock Company Profile
Kobe Steel 10 Unlock Company Profile
Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable 10 Unlock Company Profile
Asahi Kasei 10 Unlock Company Profile
PPG Industries 9 Unlock Company Profile
Dai Nippon Printing 9 Unlock Company Profile
Dow 9 Unlock Company Profile
Daicel 9 Unlock Company Profile
T&K Toka 8 Unlock Company Profile
Shin-Etsu Chemical 8 Unlock Company Profile
Sekisui Kasei 8 Unlock Company Profile
POSCO Holdings 7 Unlock Company Profile
DIC 7 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Motor Group 7 Unlock Company Profile
Shat-R-Shield 7 Unlock Company Profile
Seino Holdings 7 Unlock Company Profile
Taisei Plas 7 Unlock Company Profile
Mazda Motor 6 Unlock Company Profile
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung 6 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung SDI 6 Unlock Company Profile
Porsche Automobil Holding 5 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

LG is a key player in the epoxy resin coatings innovation area. The company manufactures epoxy resin coatings that are innovative, non-toxic and designated for the lamination of high-tech composite parts. The coatings also offer an elevated strength in combination with carbon fibres. Furukawa Electric, Nitto Denko, Dexerials are some of the other key players.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.