Seems like an interesting product. But, Akzo/Sikkens has a very low U.S. market share in the refinishing market and zero share in OEM finsihes. Chances are few and far between that detailers will run into this product in the field. Great info none the less. Akzo is the only company that offers waterborne clear on a large spectrum.

Bud - This isn't really accurate. Sikkens is actually competitively priced with Spies Heckar & Glasurit. In many applications, it's actually less expensive. Big difference is their reputation of giving a superior color match, ease of use, better coverage of product and most of all; no middle man in respect to servicing their end user. Akzo reps sell and service their clients direct and thus can discount their product much more because they don't rely on suppliers (middle men) to sell their product. In addition, Akzo-Nobel is also the world's oldest and largest producer of paint and they actual sell their raw materials to other paint manufacturers.  Even though the body shop industry is in somewhat of a slump in many areas, shops still seek paint lines that offer expert customer service and non-product services. Akzo has a department called A-COAT division that trains shops how to increase sales, productivity and quality and reduce waste/re-dos.

Another interesting fact is that other suppliers who sell to the OEM level barely turn a profit from this sector. It's actually a valuable marketing tool to sell their brand to the refinish industry. Case in point, Dupont has a huge push for their Spies line to Ford dealer body shops. They market it as being "OEM Approved" and being able to better return a vehicle to "pre-accident condition". (not accurate actually). Dupont, and all the other big auto paint manufacturers by the way, is actually sold all around the world. Sherman-Williams isn't sold at the OEM level, but is sold to Tier I & II suppliers.

Akzo is the only major well known paint manufacturer to offer not only waterborne base color coats, but waterborne clearcoat. California is actually their largest market holding most of the market share.