Liu Huicheng: Where Next for Container Coatings?

HZ info, Editor's Note: Keeping pace with industry developments and empowering practitioners to strategically plan ahead, HZ info launches the special feature "Foresee 2026: Dialogues with Chief Engineers, Insights into the Future." 

Beyond macro-level data to directly engage with frontline technology R&D and application, we have interviewed chief engineers or senior experts across specialized segments. Together, they help practitioners outline the technological landscape and market opportunities for the coatings industry in 2026.

Featured Focus: Container Coatings

Interviewee: Liu Huicheng

On the path from lab to application, Liu Huicheng stands with over three decades of experience. As a member of the China National Coatings Industry Association's Technical Expert Working Committee and Vice General Manager of COSCO-KANSAI, Liu brings extensive expertise to the field. A graduate of Tianjin University's Department of Chemical Engineering, he holds the title of Senior Engineer and has long served as a standing committee member of the China Coatings journal editorial board. His career spans two major domains: industrial protective coatings and water-based container coatings, with deep involvement inbreakthroughs and application initiatives that have yielded substantial research achievements and practical results.

As a member of the China Container Industry Association's Safety and Environmental Protection Committee, Liu played an integral role throughout the industry's transition from traditional solvent-based to water-based container coatings. During the transformation from "solvent-to-water" , he led his team in tackling critical engineering challenges, including enhancing the corrosion resistance of water-based container coatings, optimizing application processes, and solving low-temperature curing issues. This work drove the large-scale adoption of water-based coatings in the container manufacturing sector. From refiningformulations to production line deliveries, from participating in industry standard discussions to resolving on-site process anomalies, Liu has accumulated exceptionally rich practical experience in the container coatings field.

Integration of Liquid and Powder Coatings

The coatings systems for container manufacturing have evolved from solvent-based to water-based, and now powder coatings are entering the exploration and testing phase. Due to the enormous size of containers and the substantial wastewater generated during manufacturing, traditional chemical pretreatment combined with powder processes cannot be readily applied to container production. This limitation has given rise to a hybrid system combiningliquid primer with powder topcoats.

Liu Huicheng notes that current powder applications for containers neither utilize the pretreatment processesconventional type nor30μm epoxy zinc-rich primer used in standardsystems. This raises critical questions about how to protect substrates when the coatingsare damaged and the base metal becomes exposed.

Research and solutions addressing this compatibility challenge will transcend simple material combination, ushering in a new phase of deep integration characterized by"functional complementarity and interface optimization" in container coatings.

Reflective Thermal Insulation Coatings

Liu highlights that incorporating reflective thermal insulation functionality into container coatings addresses temperature sensitivity, such as energy storage containers, insulated containers, grain containers, and refrigerated containers. The objective is to reduce additional energy consumption for cooling by providing passive thermal management through reflective insulation, thereby achieving carbon reduction goals.

The breakthrough lies in constructing a"reflection + barrier" dual mechanism within the coatings, offering a passive thermal management solution for temperature-sensitive cargo and equipment. The market value extends beyond simply increasing product pricing—it opens new high-value markets by solving specific industry pain points. For coatings manufacturers, these functional products represent higher technical content and added value, helping them escape the low-price competition of conventional coatings. For container manufacturers and operators, this represents not merely a product performance upgrade but a strategic tool for responding to carbon peak and neutrality goals while offering green, low-carbon transportation solutions that attract quality customers focused on environmental protection and operational costs.

Carbon Reduction as Core, Focus on Bio-based Materials

Liu believes that the large-scale adoption of bio-based raw materials represents the next step. With the 2030 carbon peak target and subsequent 30-year journey to carbon neutrality, the coatings industry has already achieved significant carbon reduction through solvent-to-water transitions and ultra-high-solids formulations that minimize solvent usage. The next step requires achievinglarge-scale implementation of bio-based raw materials to enable further carbon reduction.