Hempel Paints Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of a major promotional campaign for its Hempatex Enamel (56360) that it says has a long track record of success in protecting and decorating a wide range of structures in the Gulf's demanding environment.

The company, meanwhile, says its new, improved acrylic formula of Hempel Flat Emulsion (58710) has been well received by the Saudi market.

It also announced the establishment of a new, much larger storage facility for bulk liquid raw materials and an automated solvent recovery plant at its factory in Dammam's First Industrial City.

Hempatex Enamel, according to the company,is a very versatile product used for steel, concrete and wooden surfaces in the architectural, industrial and marine sectors.

According to details provided by the company, Hempatex Enamel is a solvent-based finishing coat based on acrylic resin and non-chlorinated plasticiser for optimum gloss and colour retention. It is resistant to wear, impact, salt water and aliphatic hydrocarbons and is an exterior finishing coat for moderately to severely corrosive environments.

The product is ideal for interior locations that are subject to high humidity and require regular cleaning.

Deputy marketing manager Jihad Nasser says an extensive advertising and support programme was being planned as part of the promotional campaign.

The campaign covers construction magazines, outdoor advertisements and newspapers in addition to a variety of points-of-sale support materials displayed at all Hempel's retailer outlets in the Kingdom. Hempatex Enamel is available in a wide range of colours through the Hempel Decor-tint system, available at most of Hempel Saudi Arabia's retail outlets.

The launch of Hempel Flat Emulsion (58710) followed thorough testing by Hempel Saudi Arabia's R & D team, the technical services department and a number of independent contractors and Hempel retailers in the Kingdom.

"The new acrylic formula has been very well accepted in the market and by villa owners who appreciate the choice of thousands of colours available to decorate their homes, internally and externally," says Nasser.

The launch of Hempel Acrylic Flat Emulsion was backed up with an extensive advertising campaign throughout the Kingdom, including outdoor advertising with road signs appearing all over major roads and intersections in the Kingdom, major daily newspapers, magazines and retailer points of sale.

"Hempel retailers reported that the switchover to the new acrylic formula was very smooth, that customers expressed their contentment with the colours and hiding power of the new formula and that painters talked about its ease of application and good spreading rate," says Nasser.

Hempel Acrylic Flat Emulsion is available in a wide range of colours through the Hempel Decor-tint system installed at most of Hempel Saudi Arabia's retail outlets.

Hempel's new storage facility will house 14 new tanks, each having a capacity of 50,000 litres of liquid raw materials. The new tank farm will store more than double the previous number of raw materials and further improve production flexibility.

The automated solvent recovery plant will bring many benefits including reduced emissions and increased environmental control, the company says.

"Hempel was the first to build a paint factory in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region and the new tank farm is the first stage of several improvement designed to maintain the company's brand leading position in the quality paint market in the Kingdom," Nasser says.

"The company manufactured its first batch of paint in October 1973 and since then has been the leading manufacturer of quality decorative paints and protective and marine coatings in the Saudi market as well as the entire Gulf where Hempel operates a total of five factories," he adds.

Hempel Paints Saudi Arabia is a joint venture with Hempel's Marine Paints A/S in Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition to the main office and factory in Dammam, it operates branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, Yanbu and Jubail.

"Hempel Paints has a long history in Saudi Arabia of supplying high-quality products to its esteemed customers, whether to the villa market through its extensive retailer network or directly to large projects via contractors. Hempel Paints is proud to deal with a large portfolio of customers in Saudi Arabia, which includes companies like Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), Saudi Electric Company(SEC), Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and the Royal Commission.

"Hempel Paints is proud of the quality of the people it employs and invests constantly in their training and education to ensure they keep up with the latest technological advancements in the industry," he says.

Hempel Paints Saudi Arabia achieved the ISO 9001 certification in April 1996 in addition to gaining Saudi Arabia Standards Organisations (Saso) approvals on several of its products. A team of highly qualified and trained technicians works with the very latest analytical equipment to check every batch produced in the company's factory.

"Hempel Paints is well known by contractors for the support provided by its technical services department which is staffed by dedicated and experienced coating advisers, many of whom are NACE or Frosio-certified and provide assistance to customers whenever needed.

"Hempel's technical service covers the whole of the Kingdom and throughout the Gulf to ensure that technical support is readily available," Nasser says.

"Construction projects in the Gulf vary considerably from industrial projects such as desalination plants and oil refineries to large civil projects and housing. Hempel's technical services department is able to offer advice on the best paint system to meet the customer's requirements. Selecting the appropriate paint system is critical because there are hundreds of different products and each has its own characteristics and function within the paint system as a whole.

"Hempel's experienced coating advisers can recommend the most appropriate paint system and advise on the most effective method of application. The technical support also includes advice on the necessary surface preparation prior to applying the paint and provision for full working specifications.

"Hempel Paints benefits from the Hempel Group's expertise and assistance, especially on technical matters and product development. The Hempel Group has established very advanced research and development centres in Copenhagen, Barcelona (Spain) and Singapore.

"Hempel products are made from the highest quality raw materials which are subject to testing and approval by the group's quality control laboratories. This is another major reason behind Hempel's highly reputable products and systems that protect and decorate your investments for many years," Nasser points out.

Hempel Paints Saudi Arabia is an associate of the worldwide Hempel Group that was established in 1915.