JEDDAH: Jotun Paints, whose worldwide sales reached US$1.4 billion, aims to capture a Saudi market share of 20 percent, Gunnar Thoresan, managing director of Jotun Saudia Co. Ltd., said yesterday while launching the companys two new products SuperDurable and Heritage High Build.
The launching ceremony at Jeddah Hilton marked the silver jubilee of Jotun Saudia. One of the worlds leading paint manufacturers, Jotun has a strong presence in the Kingdom with 200 shops and showrooms across the country. It has 39 factories worldwide including three in Saudi Arabia.
Our new factory in Yanbu will be ready by July, Thoresan said, adding that the SR100 million plant would have a capacity to supply 100 million liters per year. He urged Saudi officials, individuals and real estate developers to use high quality paints to protect their facilities. We want Jotun dealers to be the most profitable in the market, the managing director said.
Niru Naik, regional specification manager (Middle East), said Jotun showrooms offer all types of paints in one place. Our paints are environment friendly and are manufactured after conducting a lot of research, he said. Many of our products fit the green building standard.
The new products are being manufactured under the Jotashield brand. He said the new SuperDurable paint, which lasts for 20 years, could reduce long-term maintenance cost by 46 percent. Formulated to provide superior durability, the product has anti-concrete carbonation properties and low chemical reactivity.
The Heritage High Build caters to the needs of people looking for specialty decorative paints amidst the growing trend for traditional designs in new structures. Its a single pack modified acrylic, water-based high textured coating that is ideal for buildings, he explained.
Naik urged Saudi authorities to paint the Kingdoms bridges using high quality paints to protect them from corrosion. He claimed that Jotun paints are used for major real estate and construction projects including Burj Dubai and the Jamrat bridge in Mina, near Makkah.
Faisal Karim, assistant marketing manager, said the company was receiving orders for the supply of the new products from leading builders. He said the company provides training to painters to enhance its paints impact. We have invested heavily in research and development to provide better services to our valued clients, he said.
By P.K. Abdul Ghafour
Arab News 2009
