LE VERNICI INDUSTRIALI PER LEGNO: UN APPROFONDIMENTO NORMATIVO ED UNO STUDIO SULLE POTENZIALITÀ IN ALCUNE ECONOMIE EMERGENTI

This Thesis project is connected with the internationalization strategies and processes of Italian medium-sized enterprises. The industrial wood coatings market and its main downstream sectors of use are our target industries. Furthermore, it delivers a strategical study of these industries in three growing economies: Poland, Brazil and Turkey, taking Italy as a confrontational tool. The work is organized in four chapters, supported by bibliographical and legal sources as well as market information and economic data. Practical approach is also guaranteed by the industrial PhD experience of the author in the company ICA Group. The project is the result of the collaboration among Marche Region, local Universities and local enterprises. The agreement process has led to a joint funding process for young graduates. The work addresses current global issues like the need to balance economic and environmental themes, where several often contradictory interests are at the stake. The international community legislated in a complex sector, characterized by opposing trends. On one side economic operators tend to maximize profits and continue to develop the sector, on the other environmental issues and challenges connected to these activities has become priorities in international debate. The first part of the thesis highlights potential threats and dangers of these products while interacting with the environment, with workers and end-users. This objective is reached, firstly, analysing environmental legal framework connected to indoor emissions of paints and varnishes, both national, foreign, EU-based and on voluntary basis. Secondly, providing a definition of paint product and its main application field in downstream industrial sectors. The second phase, instead, describes the main European statistical classification on manufactured goods, the PRODCOM. In addition, an overview of two main international statistical nomenclatures is also delivered: the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) and the UN list of Industrial Products. The aim of this chapter is to compute a detailled study of the statistical classification used in the main countries and economic territories, in order to deliver a useful tool for macroeconomic analisys of the selected countries. After having examined in depth the world industrial wood coatings market, analysing the main type of products and biggest world producers, we proceed with the study of the furniture industry and the wooden furniture industry, providing production value estimates of the main leading nations, particularly, United States, China and EU. At this point, the support of several statistical data and info’s collected during my PhD experience in ICA Group proved to be crucial. Last section is dedicated to deliver results of the strategic study on downstream sectors connected with the use of wood coatings, separately in three countries (Poland, Brazil and Turkey), taking Italy as a confrontational tool. This analysis will help the Management of a potential italian company to make a strategic decision on foreign investments. We are going to quantify values and historical trends in sectors connected with the use of wood coatings, such as the construction industry, wood flooring, furniture, wooden windows and doors, prefabricated wooden buildings industry. In addition, a macroeconomic overview of the selected countries is also provided as well as a study of the existing competition in the three wood coatings markets. In downstream industries, we are going to provide data on production, while in the “core” industry (wood coatings) we are going to analyse data on demand (market).