HEMPEL Paints (Saudi Arabia) is focusing on its marketing strategy to boost its market share in Saudi Arabia, where the public sector has been spearheading development in the basic services sectors such as education and health.

“We have secured many huge projects under construction which will be supplied during this year and the coming years. We are also following up other projects as a leading paint supplier that provides the maximum levels of products quality and services to all stake holders,” says Yusuf Ahmed Al Sayed, country manager, Hempel Paints (Saudi Arabia).
As part of Hempel group of companies, Hempel Saudi Arabia strives to deliver the same level of quality and service that its parent company has a sound reputation for, he adds.
The company’s investments in strengthening its sales force in the projects as well as the retail segments will set the pace for business this year.
“Our future plans will continue to focus on implementing our marketing plans,” he adds.
As part of its expansion plan of having a landmark showroom in every main city in the kingdom, a new showroom in Riyadh and another in the company’s Yanbu office will be opened soon.

“These showrooms with their state-of-art decor will help us deliver professional advice and guidance to our valuable customers and to keep them abreast of the latest global colour and finishes trends,” Al Sayed says.  “We started with Jeddah showroom – which is the largest paint showroom in the Middle East – and we are keen to extend the succes story to other areas.
“Our plans also include the launch of new products and solutions for both professionals and end-user markets.”
Hempel Paints aims to increase its business volumes both inside and outside the kingdom by expanding its dealer network and export presence.
“Last year’s market situation was not up to our expectations on account of the global financial downturn, though we registered remarkable growth which represents a continuation of the annual double-digit growth that we have been enjoying over the past three years,” he continues. “The impact of the crisis on the Saudi Arabian paint market was limited and our company dealt with the situation by relying on long-term relationships and providing existing customers with the maximum level of service.”
Hempel has been supplying paints to the decorative, protective and marine markets in Saudi Arabia for 35 years. “Using our extensive regional experience, we supply customers with customised solutions of products and services to suit their projects requirements, and offer their investments long-term protection from the harmful effects of corrosion,” he says.

Hempel’s decorative paints have been used on a range of structures – from villas to sports stadiums and hospitals. The company has its own showrooms and also sells directly to contractors and through independent retailers.”
Its protective coatings are used in oil refineries, chemical plants and pipelines. “Our customers have access to a worldwide network of coating advisors, consulting engineers and contractors. Hempel works with many of the kingdom’s leading companies including Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC),” Al Sayed adds.
Marine coatings protect all types of ship – from the smallest yachts to the largest tankers. “We have more than 200 stock points around the globe and provide customers with consistently high-quality coatings service and maintenance.”
Hempel Paints was involved in some challenging projects in Saudi Arabia, successfully coping with hectic schedules and supply demands. Some of these projects include the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (Kaust) in Thuwal, near Jeddah, Al Qasr project in Riyadh, a huge number of health clinics throughout Saudi Arabia and Jeddah’s main flood drainage culvert system.
Hempel met the bulk of the paint requirements of the Al Qasr project, entailing a total paint area of about 1.5 million sq m, according to Al Sayed.  The project consists of 254 villas, 120 buildings, a shopping mall, a mosque and many other facilities. The company supplied more than 50 per cent of the project’s paint demands to all the main contractors involved on the project, namely Project Build, Salmoc, Rakan, Cemco and Azmil. “We succeeded in getting the approval of both the project consultant Dar Al Handasah and owner representative Turner International on both interior and exterior paint systems,” says Al Sayed.
The Ministry of Health’s (MOH) clinics project involved a total of 420 health clinics spread across the kingdom. “Hempel proposed the paint system to the MOH, which approved it and specified it in the project for all other paint suppliers. The company supplied more than 50 per cent of the total paint supplies of the project to the main contractors of Al Mansoureya and Al Arrab,” he says.
Hempel’s role in the Kaust project was focused on a highly specialised area – fire protection. “We supplied 40,000 litres of our intumescent coating systems to protect the electrical rooms in 2,000 villas from any fire risk. We provided the owner representative and main contractor Saudi Binladin Group with all technical information and certification related to our systems.”
Hempel provided Jeddah’s main flood drainage culvert project with an optimum solution for protection against severe exposure. This 23-km-long and 9-m-wide culvert project, implemented by Jeddah Municipality, aimed to safeguard against the health hazard caused by the open channel flood drainage system. Additionally, this project also helped maximise on space in the heart of Jeddah city. It entailed covering the open channel with a three-vent concrete culvert, enabling the municipality to utilise the space for public parks, and thus enhancing the aesthetics of the area, he says.
“Besides the paint systems, we have also provided the client, the project consultant Fluor Arabia and the main contractor STFA/Alwan J V with technical service and advice throughout the project, which was carried out on a fast-track basis,” he adds.
Hempel Paints (Saudi Arabia) is part of the Hempel Group of Companies that began supplying coatings to the Saudi Arabian oil industry in 1973. It has a factory in Dammam and offices in Riyadh, Jeddah, Jubail and Yanbu.