Following the outstanding response Hesse Lignal received last year when it made its debut at the Big 5 show, the leading German manufacturer of wood surface products returns to the event this year with an impressive product portfolio that will include the some new effect-lacquers such as sanded metallic and a stain-card collection.

It will also arrived with a special programme with certified lacquers for the coating of ship interiors, one of its main target groups in the Middle East.
“Since the Big 5 Show in Dubai is the largest construction event in the Middle East and thus an ideal meeting place for our ideal target customer group, we are encouraged to participate in the event for the second time,” says Beate Hesse, general manager of the company. “We were overwhelmed by the number of visitors who showed interest in our products at the Big 5 show last year. In fact, the number of visitors to our stand was so unbelievably high that we could not answer all their queries and had to speak to them after the fair was over. We were impressed by both the business opportunities presented by this exhibition and the level of technical knowledge of the trade-visitors at this prestigious event,” she adds,
Since its establishment in Hamm, Germany, in 1910, Hesse has been producing lacquers and wood stain products for the interior decoration, industrial applications and for all wood surfaces, including furniture, ceilings, wall and parquet floorings. The market leader in Germany and one of the three largest manufacturers of lacquers and stains in Europe, the company has products based on 45,000 different formulations and produces about 100 tonnes of lacquers and stains per day. Its extensive product range includes solvent-free as well as waterborne and environment-friendly systems as well as the Proterra range, which is produced only from natural raw materials.
“Though the Hesse product range is very extensive, we will be promoting mainly our range of “effect coatings” at the Big 5 show to cater to the Middle East markets. The vast spectrum of this range comprises spider web, pearl, raindrop, metallic, ice crack, diamond, interiors,” adds Hesse.
Hesse has a global presence with subsidiaries in Sweden, Denmark, France, Belgium, US and Canada and joint ventures in Poland, Russia, Far East, Romania, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, China, Netherlands, Bulgaria and South Africa. The Hesse group currently engages around 450 employees and registers an annual turnover of about $70 million.
In its efforts to capture a share of the booming construction markets of the Middle East, the company also established a representative office in Dubai in 2004.
Commenting on the business levels in the region: “Our business has grown faster and at higher levels than we had anticipated, hence we are employing addition staff being employed to handle the unexpected growth in sales.
Hesse is now considering setting up a subsidiary in Dubai subsidiary in mid-2007 with an office, storehouse, laboratories and seminar halls, in a bid to guarantee a high level of customer service.
“We would also like to intensify our customer activities in Saudi Arabia and the rest of Middle East after the opening our Dubai subsidiary,” she adds.
Hesse Lignal’s project profile comprises a large number of residential and commercial premises that include homes, offices, hotels, malls and ships interiors, all of which are coated with the company’s vast range of lacquers and stains. The wood surface specialist sees itself as an innovator in the field of lacquers and stains, with more than 100 people working in research and development to create a range of custom-made product solutions. Its current product portfolio includes the Proterra-range, Profi-Multicoat lacquer, Sun Blocker and the Ethanol-Multicoat lacquer, among others.
The company, meanwhile, continues to innovate with completely new concepts as well as systems, including powder coatings, on the way
Hesse Lignal will be showcasing its product range at Zabeel Hall J27 at the trade show.