2021 has been an unusual year, more difficult than the previous one at times. Fortunately, the industry never stopped and so did the ipcm® team. Let's retrace our 2021 together.
2021 bas been another anomalous year, like the previous one. However, despite the difficulties, something has improved: we have started traveling again (albeit only in Europe) to meet our clients and write reports; we took part in fairs and events (albeit to a limited extent compared to past years); and we started hosting ipcm® Academy students in presence in our classrooms (when it was possible).
Despite these limitations, which still belong to a new and different normality that nobody wants to get used to, the work for the ipcm® editorial team has continued and in 2021 we have launched several new features.
First there is our new website, launched online on March 1st. Available in different 5 languages, the site features a new graphic design, an improved user experience, a responsive layout that has optimised mobile navigation, new features and new tools for companies interested in promoting their brand and their products. Since last September, the site also hosts the official ipcm® blog: Surface Treatment 101. Currently available in English and Italian, the articles published in this new space aim to help those taking their first steps into the world of surface treatment to gain a better understanding of the processes and technologies involved in it.
Compared to past years, we have also changed course on our social media pages,
presenting new original contents that aim to inform the sector about the various technologies and processes. It has been a year of running-in that helped us understand how and where to improve and study the new strategy that will accompany our followers during 2022.
As for printed magazines, the issues continue to become more and more rich in content. To this end, two new sections were added during the year: How It's Coated, inspired by the well-known television programme “How it's made” and aimed at describing the production cycle and the coating phase of particular products, and The Marketing Corner , a section dedicated to in-depth articles, trends and best practices on marketing and corporate communication edited by eos mktg&communication, which – in addition to being the publisher of ipcm ® magazines – offers marketing, communication, graphic design and event-planning services.
Our magazines have also leveraged the digital wave to provide readers with a broader and more interactive reading experience. In this regard, we have integrated a QR code in the pages of the magazines, in order to enrich the issues of ipcm® with multimedia content, in-depth video interviews, product demos, applications and much more. In addition, since the first issue of 2021, all digital editions have been equipped with an interactive index that facilitate reading, giving users the ability to click on the title of any article in the index and be sent directly to the page of interest.
Despite the limitations related to the health emergency, the five ipcm® magazines were distributed throughout the year at the main trade fairs and conferences of the sector.
2021 has been also the year in which the course of ipcm® Academy, the branch dedicated to professional training, resumed at full capacity with over 20 participants. The lecturers have been busy for a long time defining the new training programme for 2022, that presents several innovations. First of all, the addition of a new section dedicated to the coating of plastic materials: a recent and still niche topic in the world of painting, regarding a highly specialized sector with limited dissemination of technical skills. It will offer an overview of the market and insights into thermoplastics, thermosets, painting cycles, main suppliers, characteristics of the systems, cleaning, pre-treatment, application, curing, environmental impact and control solutions. The complete programme is available at this link and it will be also presented in detail during the online open-day on January26th, 2022. It is possible to enrol here.
Last, but not least: the arrival of a new colleague, Falkor, a Miniature Schnauzer puppy who will soon turn one year old.
At work for 2022
In addition to the ipcm® Academy training courses, one of the activities that will most engage the ipcm® team is PaintExpo, the world's leading trade fair dedicated to coating technologies, which will be held from 26 to 29 April 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany. eos mktg & communication, as the official agency of the fair, will support companies in the pre-event organisation and give the opportunity to exploit the magazines as an effective communication tool for the promotion of their services and products.
Besides PaintExpo 2022, we plan to participate in numerous other trade fairs and events that will allow us to further expand the presence of our magazines globally.