New Year, same podcast! We enter the year 2026 talking with Alex Comanita chatting about the deal between Covestro and ADNOC, one of the biggest market moves in the last months of 2025.

What does this deal mean for innovation, sustainability and the competitive dynamics of the chemical industry? Could it signal a broader trend of Middle Eastern investors reshaping the sector?

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What happens when one of the oldest names in chemistry joins forces with a major American coatings powerhouse? In this episode, Yeray López sits down with Alex Comanita to unpack the $25 billion merger between Akzo Nobel and Axalta, a move that could reshape the global coatings map.

From Akzo Nobel's centuries‑old legacy to the strategic thinking behind this merger of equals, the discussion explores cost and revenue synergies, global reach, and the cultural challenges of combining two corporate giants.

But it's not all about the big players. Comanita also highlights what these megadeals mean for small and medium‑sized enterprises, how they can stay innovative, and why specialization might be their strongest path forward.

Welcome to the first episode of the new season! This time, we're chatting to Detlef Gysau (PERFECO) about digitalisation and automation. Following the success of the EC Conference in Cologne, we will be exploring how mindset and the human factor affect the transition to a digital-driven industry.

In this bonus episode, we have the chance to talk with Olaf Adamek. He was involved in the transformation process from DuPont to the creation of Axalta, one of the first acquisitions by Carlyle. We will discuss the details of the new deal between BASF and Carlyle, and consider how it might affect the coatings industry and its employees.

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The latest episode of the European Coatings Podcast focuses on the current list of the top 25 paint manufacturers in Europe.

Renewable resources, bio-based materials, circular economy – green coating solutions are gaining more and more importance nowadays. New challenges for the coating industry have evolved. How can industry, research and regulations deal with the new green requirements on the one hand, but with the constant or growing demands for quality, performance and costs on the other hand? This EC Podcast will answer these questions and gives an overview about the European green deal and the challenges and consequences for the coating industry.

Automation and digitisation is becoming more and more important. However, while a lot of data is collected, it is not always processed properly. Often, even the exchange of data within organizations is not given and could be increased. Recently, the Smart Paint Factory Alliance has been founded to improve this situation. We spoke to Ralph Jan Wörheide of Orontec, one of the founders in the latest episode of the European Coatings Podcast.

In the latest episode of the EC Podcast we speak with Joost Broeders of Baril Coatings in the Netherlands about Sustainable Development Goals within the coatings industry.