The market for Paint Protection Films (PPF) is one of fastest growing within vehicle wrapping and customisation. PPF are technologically advanced, specialist films that offer paint protection against scratches and marks. Many of them feature advanced properties such as anti-yellowing and self-healing. Some speciality paint protection films even offer the ability to enhance paint aesthetics by adding different finishes such as high gloss. The desire to protect and customise vehicles with PPF presents a new opportunity for detailers and vehicle wrappers to expand their existing offering.
According to a recent report conducted by MarketsandMarkets, the global PPF industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% between 2019 and 2024. This is coupled with an estimated global growth from $242 million in 2019 to $341 million by 2024.
Within the paint protection films market, the automotive industry accounted for the largest share. The growth in this sector can be attributed to an increase in luxury car sales. This leads to a requirement to protect these high end vehicles, either at the point of sale or at a later date. Maintenance of showroom vehicles will also contribute to the growth of this market. PPF will help keep a perfect finish by preventing scratches and marks, which will increase resale values.
PPF materials
The materials that are likely to dominate the PPF market are thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) products. This substrate comes with a host of appealing properties for professional car wrappers, such as self-healing, non-yellowing, elasticity and recyclability. This type of film provides excellent protection for a vehicle against a number of everyday occurrences, including water marks, insects, bird droppings and road oils.
The film’s non-yellowing properties are particularly useful against exhaust smoke and pollution and help the film to maintain a great finish. The self-healing properties provide superior protection against chipping, scratches, car wash brushes and other markings that occur when the vehicle is stationary or in motion. The nature of the self-healing capabilities mean that even if there is a small hole in the film, it will reposition back to its original state.
An example of a paint protection film altering the appearance of a vehicle. This Tesla was black before having the STEK DYNOprism PPF applied to it.
What paint protection solutions are on offer for wrappers and detailers?
A wide range of paint protection films from leading brands including STEK, Avery Dennison, 3M and ORAFOL are available on the market. These materials can appeal to many different customers due to the range of features they offer. Some include self-healing properties, and others are solely designed to add a layer of initial protection against stone chips.
STEK offers a range of speciality films to enhance a vehicles aesthetics whilst still offering the outstanding protection levels. They include DYNOblack that offers a deep gloss black finish, DYNOcarbon in both clear and black. DYNOmatt will transform any colour paint on a vehicle to a stunning matt finish and DYNOprism will alter a vehicles look depending on the base colour.
Application of PPF
It is important to note that the technique used to apply Paint Protection Films is different to that of wrapping a vehicle. Vehicle wrappers that are not familiar with PPF will benefit from training in order to install these products correctly. Wrappers and installers will learn new skills and hone existing ones to get ready for PPF applications.
With the expected growth in this market, would you want to miss out on this opportunity? For help and advice and to find out more about training options, please contact your local Spandex office.
Products and links mentioned in the article
Paint Protection FIlms STEK Paint Protection range STEK DYNOblack STEK DYNOcarbon STEK DYNOprismOther Spandex blogs and articles you may be interested in:
- You may be interested in seeing our how to wrap a wing mirror blog or tips for the perfect self adhesive vinyl application.
