This presentation explores how well-intentioned standards have unintentionally created a performance plateau in the protective coatings industry. While standards aim to ensure minimum levels of protection and consistency, many stakeholders—from specifiers to asset owners—treat these baselines as optimal targets, discouraging the selection of higher-performance systems. The result is a systemic resistance to innovation: manufacturers are disincentivized to develop advanced products due to slow adoption; contractors avoid proposing improvements to avoid perceptions of bias or non-compliance; and specifiers penalize innovation with disproportionately higher bid evaluations. This session challenges the industry to rethink how standards are applied and advocates for a culture that rewards—not resists—progress in performance and lifecycle value.
