Innovative solutions in the paint market

“The growth of the MENA markets over the last few years has necessitated the creation of a dedicated operation that focuses exclusively on these markets”
-Ameer Hamza Hassan

Tell us a bit about Kansai Paint and why it has been relatively less active in the MENA region.
Ameer Hamza Hassan. Kansai Paint was established in 1918 in Japan and has grown to become Japan's largest and the world's seventh largest paint company. Kansai currently has operations in more than 40 countries of the world. Kansai is focused on developing leading-edge coatings technologies and products in a wide range of categories that include automotive OEM and refinish, decorative and industrial products. Kansai Paint has remained focused on markets with large automotive production where it now enjoys leadership positions. With the establishment of a dedicated company to develop the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa markets, Kansai is moving to address the gap created by its absence from this region; Kansai is now offering the full range of its products in these markets covering all major categories.

Kansai Paint Middle East is a relatively new venture. What has led Kansai Paint to establish a company in the Middle East?
AHH. The growth of the MENA markets over the last few years has necessitated the creation of a dedicated operation that focuses exclusively on these markets. Kansai Paint Middle East (KPME) is the regional company that is in turn establishing subsidiaries in all the key markets of the region to develop sustainable market positions. KPME was formed in March 2008 and has already established three subsidiaries, two manufacturing plants and sales channels into 11 countries of this region.

What are Kansai's key strengths and how do they enable you to differentiate in an already crowded market?
AHH. Kansai's fundamental business philosophy is to 'contribute to society by providing value added products and services that satisfy our customers'. Kansai strives to continuously improve its offering of products and services through a very strong R&D platform where environment conservation is central to any new design feature. Kansai's history and continuous focus on strong R&D has enabled it to meet challenges of delivering innovative solutions to our customers.

R&D is one of Kansai's key strengths - what new technologies are you bringing to the market?
AHH. Kansai has recently introduced some leading technology based products; examples would include 'ALES SHIKKUI' - an eco-friendly plaster coating for interior finishes. Similarly another product - Aqua Zola Coat - a multi-pattern, multi-colour aqua-based coating for exterior and interior has been launched in the market.

In the auto refinish segment, Kansai has introduced its PG Hybrid range, which offers a saving on material usage, higher productivity (less spray time) and meets environmental regulations. The superiority of this system has been widely acknowledged by leading automotive manufacturers and it is fast replacing conventional solvent-based systems across the workshops in Asia and Middle East.    

In protective coatings a one-coat New Forte DX product has been launched in the Middle East market. This is a high build surface tolerant epoxy giving unmatched application productivity and long term durability on a wide range of substrates.  

There is undoubtedly a drive towards greener technology in the paints and coatings sector. What role environment friendly technologies play at Kansai?
AHH. Kansai Paint is designing products with reduced environmental burdens throughout the lifecycle of the coating material and coating film. As a company fully committed to the preservation of the environment, we follow a proactive approach where higher than mandated standards are voluntarily set by the company. Our approach is about producing eco-friendly products and in Japan we achieved an eco-product ratio of 60 percent in 2009 and have set ourselves a very challenging target of 65 percent for the current year.

Ameer Hamza Hassan is the Chief Executive of Kansai Paint Middle East. He has over 25 years of varied experience with leading multinationals including American Express and ICI with whom he has undertaken assignments in Asia Pacific and Middle East.