Amid supply chain chaos and compressed margins, major manufacturers are launching game-changing products. Companies dominating 2028 to 2030 are not those cutting costs hardest today — they are those investing in advanced materials and digital capabilities now.
Here is what is weird: with supply chains broken and margins compressed, why invest heavily in new products? PPG’s waterborne primer, WEG’s low-temperature coating — these make no sense unless the business understands what is happening.
The short-term versus long-term game: Short-term means navigate cost pressures, implement prices, and preserve margins. Long-term means invest in capabilities ensuring future competitiveness. Companies with pricing power today are funding innovation tomorrow.
What this innovation signals: These are not vanity projects. Cortec’s biobased remover signals EPA compliance. PPG’s waterborne primer solves genuine formulation bottleneck. WEG’s low-temperature coating enables multimaterial manufacturing by investing in capabilities ensuring future competitiveness. Invest in capabilities now through consolidation, develop specialty expertise, and command premiums.
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