OVER the past three decades Arabian Building Chemicals Factory (ABC) has made relentless efforts to keep pace with the discerning tastes of an increasingly demanding Saudi market.

Starting out as an importer and distributor of paint products from leading international manufacturers, the company launched into local production of paints in 1989 producing around 45,000 tonnes of paint products per year.
Today, this Saudi pioneer in the production of paints, varnishes and solvents has a production capacity that stands at 70,000 tonnes a year. Its flagship brand is Rose Paints, a high-quality product that has been well-received in the local as well as export markets. To date, nearly 5,000 government projects have used Rose Paints, according to a company spokesman.
Rose Paints product range includes a vast range of primers, water-borne emulsions, texture, timber, industrial and floor paints and road paints. Yet another brand of the company is Martensons, which also comprises primers, emulsions, fillers, alkyds, solvents, textures, varnishes, wood stains, and waterproof coatings.
The company has over the years gained a leadership position among paint manufacturers and today exports its products to many countries in the Middle East, Africa and Australia. Besides, it has established regional offices in various countries.
“Backed by research, advanced technology, international quality standards and an efficient marketing strategy, we not only developed innovative products but have also created product awareness and a huge presence in local and international markets,” says the spokesman.
In line with this, the company put through an expansion plan to double production and implemented it with the help of leading Spanish companies. For this purpose, a 38,000 sq m state-of-the-art factory was established on the Jeddah-Makkah Old Road, which helped achieve its 70,000-tonne production target.
“The company focuses on product variety such as industrial paints, automotive and decorative paints and also ensures product innovation to meet new demands,” says the spokesman.
The factory’s hi-tech facilities and processes help handle large orders and provide an expansive colour choice, says the spokesman. High-speed dozers (HSD), three-shaft mixers, horizontal mixers and spherical high-speed mill enhance the company’s ability to handle large orders in record time, where all powders are automatically loaded in production pots and products are also automatically packaged after filtration.
Matching colours in the factory is also a fully automated process with the program having 50,000 colour cards. Once approved by the client, the colour choices are stored in the computer to ensure accuracy in producing future batches of the paint.
Underpinning ABC’s 30-year growth in the market is its team of highly-qualified team of dedicated personnel.
According to the spokesman, technicians of the factory play a huge role in ensuring the suitability of its products for the region. “For instance, various factors such as the extreme climatic conditions prevailing in the Middle East have to be considered,” the spokesman says.
While the latest range of paints available on the market have made it easy to decorate and protect various kinds of surfaces, factors such as the proper preparation of the surface using suitable primers and finishing paints, and applying the right sequence of paints under the direction of professionals, are still essential considerations,” he explains.
ABC is an ISO 9001:2000-certified company and it has a qualified technical team to enhance quality assurance/quality control in the company. “It uses a sales analysis program, material control system and an advanced methodology to assess customer satisfaction,” says the spokesman.
The company also has the Saso (Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation) approval for all the company’s products.
The company has 16 well-equipped branches in various areas of the kingdom that handle orders and delivery; and 1,500 distributors.