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     The rapid development of the United Arab Emirates since it was formed in 1971 has seen a massive construction boom with the nation developing from a collection of small, underdeveloped towns into the modern cities as evident today. Alongside the construction of buildings, offices and industrial projects, the country has established an infrastructure to rival that of any developed country in the world. With so much building activity taking place, there has also been the need for paint-whether for marking roads, protecting buildings from the elements or simply for decoration - and one Arab company, National Paints, has developed alongside the UAE to become a major player in the regional market.

     The company celebrates its 25th anniversary in the UAE in 2002 and in March 2001 opened a new state-of-the-art, computerised factory in the emirate of Sharjah - which at one million square feet is the biggest paint factory in the Middle East. The facility employs 525 people and has a production capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes - almost 350 tonnes of paint a day - as well as a separate plant to produce the resins used in the production of paint, and a plant to produce the powder coatings used in aluminium and steel protection.  The range of products manufactured by National Paints is extremely varied and includes paints for the decorative, protective coatings, automotive and furniture finishes, road marking paints, epoxy flooring, swimming pool system, marine paints, water proofing and all types of thinners and primers. Partner and Managing Director, Saleem Sayegh, as he reflected from his spacious, modern offices, is proud of what National Paints has achieved in such a short period of time, and the history of the family company he started with his brothers in Jordan over 30 years ago.

     “National Paints started production from a little warehouse in Amman in 1969,” he explained. “The ambitions were high and the dreams were big and by 1973 we had built a modern, well-equipped factory, which was able to produce a big variety of paints.  “We are committed to operating at the highest levels of the industry and found it necessary to be in touch with, and benefit from, international companies and so we signed agreements to give us access to their experience and technology. “Our repeated success in the market made it important for us to spread our wings and develop. As a result of our ability to produce new product lines, the consumer demand and our motive to supply the outer markets, a new branch was built in 1977 in Sharjah under the name National Paints Factories (National Paints). We started small - at that time our business was only aimed at the local market and it was a small factory with one machine. But after two years we expanded.”


   The facility in Sharjah has now been rebuilt four times to cope with the expansion of the company which currently markets 60 per cent of its products locally, with the remaining 40 per cent being exported to 35 different countries in the Middle East, Africa, Russia and the former Soviet countries, which make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).


    “In the UAE the biggest market is for decorative paints because there is so much of  building construction taking place, although it is not just for new buildings, but as well as the maintenance of old buildings,” Mr Sayegh said.  “There is also a growing demand for industrial paints as the country becomes more industrialised. There are a lot of furniture factories in the UAE and we make many types of coatings for this industry.” Along with growth in the UAE, National Paints has expanded by opening new facilities in its key markets, and further agreements have been signed with other international companies. “After our great success in the UAE, and to fulfil the founders' dream, a forth branch was established in Qatar in 1989,” Mr Sayegh explained.  “Another was established in Sudan in 1998 followed by others in Bishkek, Kyrghystan and Almaata, Kazakhstan during 2001. A bigger and more sophisticated factory was built in Amman in 1988 and we are currently modernising the facility there, and also the one in Qatar.”

"there is also a growing demand for industrial paints

as the country becomes more industrialised"

    He says product quality and customer service are the prime reasons for the company’s success, with all the raw materials and each batch of paints undergoing rigorous laboratory testing to ensure it is of the highest standard. “If you have a problem during production then it becomes a big problem when you are servicing the local market and 35 other countries. If the problem is noticed only  after 10 days, you will have 3,500 tonnes of affected product in the market which will be a big headache and damage your reputation, so quality is extremely important and each batch is carefully checked at every stage of production. “We manufacture different types of paints - decorative, industrial and marine, as well as different coatings - and for each type we have specialist laboratories and chemical engineers. In the main office we also have a research and development laboratory”.

     The hi-tech, futuristic laboratory puts each product through its paces with complex scientific machinery used to simulate the extreme weather conditions, humidity, temperatures, light conditions, exposure to salt, and other factors which it will be exposed to during its lifetime to ensure it is up to the job.

The weather machine, for example, subjects paint in one day to the different conditions it will be exposed to during a month of use which allows the company’s chemical engineers to study how it will react over extended periods of time.  “We have the knowledge and expertise to produce the right material for the local market,” Mr. Sayegh said, "but we also make paints for specific countries depending on their climatic conditions".  

     Safety is another key issue at the factory, which is ISO 9002 certified and will also be seeking ISO 9001 & 14000 accreditation in the near future. “Paints raw materials are highly inflammable and safety is a major concern.”

Another reason for the success of National Paints is its ability to fulfill orders rapidly, with computerised mixing machines able to produce paint in any chosen colour or match any existing colour. “We keep a big stock of raw materials so any big order is executed  immediately,” Mr Sayegh said. “The raw materials are chemical and previously we were ordering them from overseas, but now a lot is produced locally in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran.” With so much having been achieved in the past 25 years, what does Mr Sayegh hope National Paints will achieve in the next 25 years? “We have been very pleased with the way the company has grown,” he said. “In 25 years we have achieved so much and every year we have consistent sales growth."

    “In 1999 the UAE branch produced about 85,000 tonnes of paints, coatings and finishes, and the total production of our three factories in 1999 added up to 170,000 metric tonnes. We expect this figure to have reached 200,000 during 2001. “In 2002 we will be opening new factories in Saudi Arabia and Egypt and in the coming years we will be expanding to other countries as well.

     In the next 25 years we want National Paints to become a totally international company and be known all over the world - we want people coming from Europe or America to be familiar with the name National Paints.”

 


 

 

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