Global shortages of raw materials used to stripe roads and highways is the subject of the troubling new report by “Report on Raw Materials Shortages in the U.S. Pavement Markings Industry (PDF).”
The report was prepared by the roadway safety experts and advocates of the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and provides a deeper understanding of the factors fueling the raw materials shortage, which it attributes principally to roadway project owners, paint producers, contractors and the members of the public generally.
The following materials are experiencing the supply shortage:
- Acrylic Resin: The backbone for all waterborne traffic paint.
- Rosin Esters: The primary resin system used in “alkyd-based” thermoplastic.
- Liquid Epoxy Resin: Feedstock shortages for epoxy resin have pushed prices up buy 30-plus percent.
- Titanium Dioxide (TiO2): White pigment used in roadway paint, thermoplastic and epoxy
Other factors for the shortages and price hikes of the materials include shut-downs or repairs at production facilities and increased global demand for the materials. The roadway safety industry is operating at roughly 55 percent of its normal allocation of supplies as a result of the shortage.
“There are many questions and concerns regarding the raw materials shortage,” said ATSSA Chairman Joe Jeffrey in a press release about the report. “Through this report, ATSSA wanted to provide the roadway safety industry, the motoring public and others a level playing field of information on the raw materials shortage issue, ensuring roadway safety remains the number one priority for our nation’s motorists.”
