For many, it was a surprising and moving announcement: Dr. Thomas Herrmann, who built up the Dresden Powder Symposium from a small gathering to one of the largest events in the industry over more than 35 years, is stepping down from the active day-to-day management of the event at the end of this year's forum and retiring from Dr. Herrmann GmbH in the summer. In the future, the IFO Institute will not only take over the technical and structural sponsorship of the forum, but also Dr. Herrmann GmbH with all its employees. Dr. Herrmann GmbH will retain its name and become a branch of the IFO Institute in Dresden. However, the founder of the Powder Symposium is not retiring from the industry completely; he will still be available as a content consultant for future events and also intends to continue working as an expert. Find out more in our video interview with Dr. Herrmann and IFO Managing Director Michael Müller.
From automation to pretreatment
This year's event once again covered a wide range of relevant topics – from partial powder coating without manual labor to bio-based powder coatings for industrial applications and a newly introduced photothermal process for measuring layer thickness. Get an impression with our video highlights. Energy topics were also on the agenda, of course, with one presentation addressing one of the most pressing questions in the industry: How can furnace and drying processes be optimized in terms of energy efficiency without compromising production reliability and throughput? The discussions made it clear that potential savings lie not only in switching energy sources, but above all in process control, load profiles, and the targeted reduction of idle times. The debate shifted away from blanket efficiency promises to detailed analyses of specific plant conditions. The sometimes dramatic efficiency gains achieved through optimized suspension systems were also highlighted.
Bio-based powder coatings – sustainability beyond marketing
The presentation on bio-based powder coatings addressed the raw materials side. The focus here was not on purely formal "green" labels, but on the actual industrial applicability of alternative binder systems. The central question was to what extent biogenic raw materials can be used without compromising corrosion protection, mechanical resistance, or long-term stability. It became clear that sustainability must be technically robust – especially in industries with high requirements for weather and chemical resistance.
Automation and series production
Several contributions, including the presentation of efficient series production of large-volume components and the discussion on the successful automation of powder coating processes, made it clear that staff shortages and quality pressure will lead to further technologization of production lines. Automation is no longer seen merely as a rationalization tool, but as a means of process stabilization and reproducibility.
Panel discussion: Sensitive or robust?
The panel discussion "Powder coating – beautiful, but sensitive?" was particularly concise. Two court experts showed that powder coatings are generally very robust and only develop a certain sensitivity in the event of procedural errors. They highlighted typical damage patterns, their causes, and their legal assessment. In particular, they made it clear that all parties involved in the process, from the paint manufacturer to the coater to the facade cleaner, must be part of the investigation chain.
Conclusion: forward-looking topics, good discussions
The 35th Dresden Powder Symposium did not present a one-sided technology debate, but rather a complex picture of an industry in transition. Energy efficiency, new pretreatment systems, bio-based materials, inline measurement technology, automation, and retrofitting were discussed intensively.
With its takeover by the IFO Institute, the Dresden Powder Symposium now has a long-term future ahead of it – and visitors can look forward to the 36th Powder Symposium in 2027, which will be held for the first time under the leadership of the IFO / QUBUS Group from January 28 to 29 next year.