Although the pigments market still is facing challenges related to raw material prices and the economy, there are some indications that 2013 will see improvements. "The pigments market continues to trend upward particularly when viewed against the 'recession' years," said Robert Poemer, business unit leader, Heucotech, Ltd. "The percentage improvement in 2012 was also larger than that of 2011, but again the increases are relatively small. The performance also varied significantly by the sector of the coatings business. As in 2011, the sector with the most improved performance was automotive where we have seen positive growth for the last three years. The building sector is showing some signs of recovery but it cannot be termed a significant recover at this point. Again, the major questions for building sector are when will we see a return to normalcy and what will the definition of the new normalcy be?"
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