VRTS managing Italian major’s Indian operation
Today, plastic parts account for 15-20 per cent of a car’s weight, whereas for buses or trucks the requirement is smaller. Many of these 
are exterior parts which have aesthetic and functional uses and are provided with paint coating. The paint on plastic parts provides protection against mechanical, chemical and physical factors such as scratches, stone chipping, weathering and UV radiation. It also guards against the ingredients used in cosmetics and cleaning agents.
The painting technology industry is meeting the increasingly stricter industry demands with regard to quality, cost and efficient use of resources while developing new solutions. However, paints and coatings are significantly more than just technical utilities: they create surfaces which are visually appealing to all senses and generate an emotional link with the product and increase its worth. The quality of the coating has to fulfill very strict requirements in order to ensure that this alluring effect on the human senses is properly achieved.
Regarding exterior plastic parts such as mirrors, bumpers, fenders, etc., the trend in the developed markets such as Europe, the US and China is to paint the parts of cars, SUVs, LCVs and buses with the same color as that of the vehicle, and to paint the parts of medium / heavy trucks, with black or grey color.
It is quite obvious that emerging markets like India, Brazil and South-East Asian countries will follow the same market evolution. So, the challenge for the Indian OEMs is to develop as quickly as possible a significant know-how in painting technology for plastic parts.
IMPA has the know-how of its high quality solutions and the experience of supplying 
products to world class OEMs like Iveco, Menarini, Ikarusbus, Ferrari and Lamborghini. It can offer a full range covering different applications. A typical application cycle for plastic parts is based on the following steps:
* Improving the smoothness of the surface: IMPA can offer special putties for plastic. Bumper Fine Stuk which is a two component polyester filler or Fibrato that is charged with micro-glass fiber in order to repair more significant damages of the part. Both putties can be directly applied on any kind of plastic, except polyethylene.
* Painting of black or grey parts: IMPA can offer a special paint that can be directly applied on the surface (after application of putty wherever needed). IMPA Bumper Paint, a mono-component semi-gloss paint, is the perfect solution for bumpers and fenders in trucks.
* Body color painting of bumpers & side plastic panels: For body color, the painting cycle is different. First, a special adhesion primer must be applied. Then, a PU paint can be applied in which a special additive named Flexing is added. Such additive is needed in order to give to the paint the same level of flexibility of the plastic on which it is applied. In the absence of this, the paints will crack quite soon.
IMPA is present in India through its exclusive distributor, VRTS Industrial Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a leading Noida-based importer of chemical products for the automotive industry. For details, visit: www.impa.it or contact VRTS at info@vrts.co.in
IMPA is an Italian company based in S.Pierto di Feletto in the north-eastern part of the country. Founded in 1962, IMPA today is an important producer of special paints, enamels and chemical specialties for industrial, automotive-OEM and the car repair shops segment. Growing rapidly the company has in recent years expanded its global sales operations.
Today IMPA is selling its high-performance products in more than 60 countries with a total turnover of over than 35 M€. Focused on R&D in order to develop innovative products, a special effort was made to develop the specific knowhow regarding paints and putties for plastic parts used in vehicles such as buses, trucks, LCVs and cars.