Japan’s Kansai Paint set to expand in the GCC

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19 Apr 2017

Kansai Paint, the leading Japanese paint and coatings manufacturer, has announced it is aiming to open up to 50 new distribution centres in the coming year across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Qatar.

Having grown to over 1,000 employees in the Middle East, the globally recognized Japanese company is set to tap into the $3.6 billion coatings industry in the region. The key markets in the GCC for Kansai Paint are KSA, which accounts for 35 percent of its business in the region, followed by the UAE (23 percent), with the primary business segments being architecture coatings (68 percent) and protective coatings (34 percent).

“Kansai Paint is seeking to build its position in key strategic markets in the years to come, which includes the MENA & CIS markets,” said Hiroshi Ishino, President and Representative Director, Kansai Paint. “We are committed to investing what is needed in order to achieve that ambition.

“The Kansai Paint Group aspires to become a truly global company that competes and thrives on the world stage. The MENA & CIS region has tremendous potential, and with our strong presence already in the market, we will work hard to contribute to society by providing products and services that satisfy the high expectations of our customers in the region.”

Mr. Ishino, who has been leading Kansai Paint since 2013, was in Dubai for the company’s annual sales meeting. The President delivered a keynote address ahead of country specific presentations and marketplace insight sessions.

Mr. Ishino’s visit follows the launch of its first design centre in Jeddah. In the UAE, Kansai Paint has also refurbished its Umm Suqeim Design Centre and has set up a new paint store in Al Ain. The store is part of a pilot phase to be scaled up by 2018 across the UAE, KSA and Qatar.

Established in 1918, Kansai Paint established its window company to MENA & CIS in Dubai in 2008, with a footprint that now extends across 24 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and CIS markets.