JOTUN Saudia Company, an industry leader in decorative paints for the kingdom, has become a choice supplier to a number of key projects in the kingdom, thanks to its focus on developing products that suit local conditions and its focus on the environment, says an official at the company.

 “Having more than two decades of experience in the kingdom has helped the company produce a variety of conventional and specialised coatings, each incorporating the latest technological developments while offering performance with economy and catering to the various product segments and demands of the different markets,” says Dilip Tambe, sales manager, deco projects, Jotun.

The paints giant is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and a single-source supplier offering concrete protection and beautification through its decorative products; steel protection, intumescent coatings and floor coatings through its protective coatings; and functional and architectural powder coatings.

The company has today become synonymous with innovation and ground-breaking concepts in paint manufacturing as reflected by the launch of a number of new products in the Saudi market.

The latest among these products is Jotashield Extreme, a revolutionary new exterior paint product developed for the Middle East region, which reflects heat and allows surfaces to remain cool and temperate. It makes use of an innovative and revolutionary pigment technology that allows consumers to have darker shades of colours, giving them indoor thermal comfort and a longer lasting paint with superior exterior protection at a competitive price.”

The product provides protection against ultraviolet and near infra-red heat, thus significantly reducing indoor and surface temperatures and consequently driving down energy consumption.

Apart from innovative products, Jotun offers the ‘Multicolor’ tinting concept, which helps to match almost any shade conceivable that is desired by clients, Tambe says.

“Jotun Paints proved to be pioneers in the region with the introduction of the automatic tinting system way back in 1974, at a time when such innovations were completely unheard of,” says a spokesman for the company. “There are more than 6,000 Multicolor machines worldwide, nearly 3,000 of which are in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region. This state-of-the-art system gives customers access to tens of thousands of colour combinations, and dispenses the paint colour in less than three minutes assuring customer satisfaction.”

Jotun has been developing products to suit local conditions according to Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation (Saso) standards, which has helped it become a choice supplier for many projects in the kingdom.

Currently, the company is supplying its paints to two projects at the Information Technology and Communications Complex (ITCC) in Riyadh, under contracts worth a total of SR5 million ($3.83 million), which are expected to be completed in 2013. It is also supplying for a regional and domestic airports maintenance contract worth SR4 million ($1.066 million), which extends till 2014. Another ongoing project is the student housing at the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).

Over the past two years, a major source of business has been the Princess Nora University for Women in Riyadh (PNU), the largest women’s university in the world, for which it has undertaken various orders worth a total of SR18.8 million ($5.01 million). Other key contracts include the King Abdullah Financial District (where it supplied paints worth SR6.8 million – $1.813 million), Jizan Immigrant Housing (SR6 million – $1.6 million), and the King Saud University’s College of Health Sciences ($3.2 million – $853,000).

According to Tambe, Jotun’s commitment to environment protection and the fact that its paint products meet the strict requirements and standards for green buildings, have helped it clinch prominent projects such as the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust), the PNU and King Abdullah Financial District – all for Saudi Binladin Group and Saudi Oger.

The paint sector has enjoyed a relatively good year compared to 2010, according to Tambe. “This can be widely attributed to the recovery in the market from the impact left behind by the economic gridlock,” he says, adding that Saudi Arabia, in particular, has positioned itself as a construction hub with all projects under way.

“Even through the global financial downturn, Saudi Arabia has remained strong and stable. The same goes for the country’s paint industry,” Tambe adds.

Established over 27 years ago, Jotun Saudia is a leader in terms of market share, Tambe says. Its head office is in Jeddah with five warehouses spread across the kingdom. Jotun maintains a strong presence in the kingdom with two environment-friendly factories across key locations like Yanbu and Jeddah. It also has an authorised dealers’ network that spans throughout Saudi Arabia.

Jotun employs more than 400 people. “The company believes in a more organic form of growth and as an example, will continue to invest in its personnel,” says Tambe.