The Bahrain office of leading paint manufacturer Berger Paints is putting the final touches to the Bahrain City Centre project, which is set to redefine the retail and entertainment landscape of the kingdom.

“For the paint work on the interior, exterior and car-park areas of the project, Berger Paints Bahrain has supplied in excess of 400,000 litres of paint solutions,” says company CEO V Subramanian.
“The Bahrain City Centre is one of the biggest and most prestigious projects in the kingdom and we are proud to be involved with it,” says Subramanian. “One of the products that have been used on the project includes a high-quality specialty coating that offers unique protection to the substrate. For the exteriors, we have used Berger Vintage, which is an anti-carbonation coating that also gives a traditional look to the walls. We have made some changes to the product so that it can accommodate the specific application requirements of a project of this size.”
For the project’s interiors, Berger has supplied Weatherflex, a popular anti-carbonation, crack-bridging paint that has the ability to bridge cracks of up to 2 mm. Apart from this, the company has also provided Berger Royal Silk, claimed to be one of the best silk emulsions in the market.
“In all, our paint solutions have been used to cover in excess of 400,000 sq m for the core areas of the project and close to 150,000 sq m for the car park,” says Subramanian. Within the core area, the project has been used on the ceilings and on the interior and exterior walls.
The painting works on the project, which was started in the second quarter of last year, is nearly complete.
Commenting on the challenges of the project, Subramanian continues: “The Bahrain City Centre has been quite demanding. Being one of the landmark projects of the kingdom, we had to meet stringent delivery schedules, and the technical servicing requirements of the main contractor and the consultant at every stage of work. The project is being executed with a high level of professionalism, and safety measures at the project site are commendable.”
“Thanks to the presence of an experienced team on the ground, Berger Paints has been able to meet these challenges successfully and quickly,” he says.
Apart from the Bahrain City Centre, Berger Paints has been associated with many of the leading developments in Bahrain, says Subramanian.
“We have been a leading player in Bahrain’s paint sector for over two decades now. Quite recently, we have completed work on the Adhari Park. Other projects that we are involved with at present include the Durrat Al Bahrain, Riffa Views and King Hamad Hospital, all of which are at various stages of completion,” he adds.
Commenting on the local paint market, Subramanian says: “Bahrain’s construction market has been growing at an impressive rate and this makes the kingdom a preferred location for international business houses. In tandem with the market growth, Berger Paints has also witnessed a steady growth in market share and business volumes. One concern however, remains to be that of the continuous increase in raw material prices.”
Part of the billion-dollar Asian Paints group, Berger Paints is one of the top 10 decorative coatings companies in the world.
“We are among the leaders in emerging markets and have a far-flung presence from the Caribbean to the Middle East, South Asia, South East and Far East Asia and the South Pacific region,” says Subramanian. “Apart from this, the company enjoys easy access to the technologies and products being developed in other parts of the world, giving it an edge over the competition.”
In the GCC, Berger Paints has factories in Bahrain, Oman and the UAE. “All these locations have experienced technical and sales people on the ground. We also export to countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia as well as several CIS countries,” says Subramanian.
Set up more than 25 years ago, Berger Paints Bahrain has a 9,500 sq m factory in Sitra. Manned by 70 staff, the factory manufactures a complete range of paints and coatings, both architectural and industrial products along with a wide range of floor coatings.
Berger Paints also has a state-of-the-art laboratory in Bahrain, which allows it to develop and customise its products locally and also offer quality technical service, he says.
To continue to meet the growing demand for its products, the company has drawn up a strategy that will involve investments which will help it to augment its capacity to meet future market demands apart from increasing employment levels.
“Our endeavour right now is to be part of all nation-building activities which also includes increasing our Bahrainisation quota. In addition, since we are the only ISO 14001 (environment management system)-certified paint company in Bahrain, we will continue to focus on protecting the environment and ensuring safety in all phases of our business,” Subramanian concludes.