SIGMA Paints Qatar (SPQ), through a local contractor, won the paint supply contract for the refurbishment of five stadiums that were used to host the 2011 AFC Asian Cup competition in January.

The company attributes the success to the painters’ training courses it conducted for Al Fowriya, the main contractor on the projects. The paint supply contract covered the Al Gharaffa, Al Rayyan, Al Saad, Al Arrabi and the Qatar Sports Club stadiums.

The project was to be completed on a fast-track basis, according to Steven Rijkaard, brand manager for Dammam-based Sigma Middle East. “Al Fowriya and Sigma Paints Qatar had less than a month to complete the work after the award of contract,” he says.

To ensure timely completion of the project, Al Fowriya employed 250 painters, who applied QR1 million ($274,612) worth of paint in 29 days, in addition to undertaking cleaning, surface preparation and other infrastructure works.

The primary systems used included 7406 SigmaCover 211 and 7524 Sigmadur 520 for the seating areas; 0804 Sigmafix Primer, 0815 Sigma Textured MP and 0944 Sigmacryl semi-gloss extra for the external walls; 0852 Sigma Acrylic primer/sealer, 0864 Aquafil fine and 0942 Sigmacryl Flat for the internal walls; and 7417 SigmaCover 280 and 7528 Sigmadur gloss for the hand rails at the stadiums.

“It was the excellent liaison between Sigma’s logistics teams in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well as the flexibility afforded by the R&D (research and development) and production in Dammam that ensured that the supplies were provided on time despite the minimal lead time,” he adds.

“Al Fowriya as the main contractor was delighted with the support given by our salesman Fyzel Sheriff as well as Sigma Qatar’s logistics and FTS (field technical service) teams to achieve the desired results – as was the Qatar National Olympic Committee. And there is talk of further work in the pipeline,” Rijkaard says.

SPQ has continued to make inroads into the Qatar market, both in the decorative and protective sectors, and has been involved in a diverse range of projects right from villas to storage tanks.

In the decorative sector, it was involved on the Al Rayyan Village project (where Sigma Guardian Nano has been used), Hamad Medical City, Barwa Village Wakra, two sites for the Barwa low-cost housing scheme and the boundary wall of the Emiri Guard headquarters, among other projects.

On the protective coatings side, it has supplied systems for Qatar Chemical Company’s Q-Chem II integrated petrochemical plant expansion, 35 storage tanks for Dolphin Energy, Ras Laffan refinery (tanks), and Halul Offshore crude oil storage tanks.

Sigma Paints recently won a “green” accolade in Qatar for its eco initiatives. At the Qatar Today Green Awards (QTGA) 2010, the company’s Sigmacryl Ecoplus, an environment-friendly paint with zero VOC (volatile organic compounds), was conferred a runner-up award in the Green Service or Product category.

More than 80 organisations, engaged in diverse products and services, competed for the awards. Initiatives included recycling of used equipment, upgrading the education curriculum to include environmental studies and process-related eco-endeavours, such as carbon neutral construction.

Sigmacryl Ecoplus, which was launched on the Qatar market recently, has attracted significant interest from Dohaland and Qatar Foundation.

Qatar Sports Club ... a world-class venue.

Sigma’s marketing manager for the Middle East, Antoine Lejuez points out that the paint manufacturer has a long history of producing environmentally-sound products. “We are achieving success by incorporating green values into our production and are leading the way towards green thinking in a broader spectrum, being a role model in this region,” he says.

“Sigmacryl Ecoplus – the first ‘zero VOC’ paint system in the Gulf – represents the highest sustainability paint concept not only in the Middle East but also across the globe,” says Rijkaard.

The product launched early last year followed Sigma’s introduction of the Eco Protection concept, a wide ecological product line bearing the eco protection label that indicates the products are water-based, lead-free and contain low amounts of VOC.

The Sigmacryl Ecoplus product range carries the EU Eco-label – the ‘Flower’ – which represents a unique certification meeting the most stringent environment rules in Europe.

Meanwhile, Sigma Paints, the first company in the Middle East to have introduced plastic paint drums to the market, launched a new packaging design in the shape of visually striking plastic drums last November. The paint manufacturer aims to establish a new corporate identity through the new packaging design for its entire product range.