Industry
Early-warning system for Surface Treatment
Coating and painting processes depend on energy for drying and curing, as well as on the procurement of process chemicals. SignalChain assesses daily which external developments could become relevant for this industry.
The essentials in brief
- Drying and curing are energy-intensive. They can account for a significant share of process costs.
- Process chemicals are a separate channel. Solvents, acids and coating materials are partly sourced from concentrated suppliers.
- Both channels can act at the same time. Energy prices and chemical procurement run independently of each other.
- What matters is the business's own process. And its own use of chemicals.
Why is Surface Treatment particularly vulnerable?
Coating processes require energy for drying and curing ovens, as well as process chemicals such as solvents, acids or coating materials. If energy prices rise or the procurement of these inputs falters, this can directly affect production costs and planning.
How can this affect a business?
A possible course of events:
The price level itself is officially documented; whether and how strongly an individual business is affected depends on its own process and chemical use.
Example: the German electricity market in 2025, in figures
In 2025, the average day-ahead wholesale electricity price in Germany stood at 89.32 euros per megawatt-hour according to the Bundesnetzagentur, 13.8 percent above the previous year. In 40 hours of the year, the price exceeded 300 euros per megawatt-hour.
For a surface-treatment business with continuously running drying and curing ovens, this consumption can hardly be shifted. Precisely for that reason, a large share of annual costs is decided in a small number of particularly expensive hours, where the business's own contract is priced close to the spot market.
What matters here is the business's own contract model: how strongly is its own electricity or gas price linked to the spot market, and how energy-intensive are the coating processes it uses?
Which risks are particularly relevant for Surface Treatment?
- Energy prices
- Drying and curing ovens often respond directly to electricity and gas prices.
- Procurement of process chemicals
- Solvents, acids and coating materials are partly sourced from concentrated suppliers.
- Production
- Delays in inputs can directly slow down coating lines.
How does SignalChain help?
SignalChain monitors energy prices, producer price indices for relevant chemicals and official outage notifications daily, and assesses whether a development could become relevant for your business.
For official hazard and disaster warnings, the relevant authorities remain the definitive source; SignalChain does not provide advice for your individual situation.
Frequently asked questions about the early-warning system for Surface Treatment
Why is Surface Treatment dependent on energy prices?
Because drying and curing ovens can account for a significant share of process costs.
Which inputs are particularly relevant?
Process chemicals such as solvents and coating materials, whose procurement can fluctuate.
Does SignalChain replace an in-house risk department?
No, but it can take over the daily monitoring of external developments that otherwise no one in the business would do.
Sources and data basis
Assess risks for Surface Treatment earlier
SignalChain shows you daily which external developments could become relevant for your coating processes.