S. Mahesh Anand, President - Decorative Business, Nippon Paint (India) Pvt. Ltd., shares the company's expansion plans, product innovations, and skill development initiatives, with Seema Gupta during a visit at the Nippon plant in Chennai
Nippon Paint India currently the 5th largest manufacturer in the Indian Paint Industry which is estimated to be worth Rs.37,000 crore and growing at a CAGR of around 11%. The company, whose strength lies in its extensive R&D and focus on producing eco-friendly paints, has carved a niche in the Indian market for its water-based paints that do not contain any heavy metals such as the harmful lead and mercury. Its presence is largely concentrated in southern India, with a small presence in the northern and western parts of the country.
R&D and Innovation
Nippon Paint India recently celebrated its 10th year in India. It owes the milestones that it has achieved to its practice of Kaizen (the Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency, etc); Lean Management for growth; and its strong emphasis on sustainable manufacturing processes and producing only eco-friendly paints, which Anand terms as their "Eco+ Colour" strategy. The practically odour-free and dust-free environment at the plant bears testimony to the company's commitment to maintaining a healthy environment.While the Group has a centralized process management based in Singapore and R&D activities that take place largely in China and Singapore plants (for developing innovative and disruptive technologies), local R&D is also encouraged for customizing and improving products, and making them climatically suitable for the particular country. For example, paints that are resistant to heat, algae and colour fading, and are more cost-effective, were developed for the Indian market.
At the Chennai manufacturing plant, S. Arun, General Manger – Manufacturing, Nippon Paint India, informs that the company's priority lies in the safety of its workers (both internal and external emergencies). Importance is also given to saving time, effort and worker fatigue. The plant layout has been designed to minimize worker movement from one plant to another plant, logistics for easy and fact movement of packaged goods, zero wastage, rainwater harvesting, and creating an odour and dust-free environment.
Adding Value, Colour & Function
Over the years, Nippon Paint has developed advanced, functional and eco-friendly products by using its breakthrough paint technology. In fact, Nippon Paint has many firsts to its credit in the Indian market such as its vast range of functional paints. These include the Odourless Aircare (interior emulsion with formaldehyde abatement); Medifresh (interior emulsion with anti-bacterial formula); Satin Glo (high sheen emulsion); Spotless (stain repellant emulsion); Weatherbond Solar Reflect (exterior emulsion that reflects heat and reduces internal heat by 5%); Weatherbond (exterior paint with 9-year warranty); and Durafresh (exterior emulsion with dirt pick-up resistance).Odourless Aircare, for instance, uses active carbon technology that absorbs harmful formaldehyde from the air and converts it to water vapour; thereby refreshing the indoor air. The paint has near zero VOC, is anti-bacterial, and has superior washability. S Arun explains that formaldehyde is a very common indoor air pollutant which is emitted into the air from furniture, carpeting, flooring, cabinets and wallpaper; children, aged and those suffering from chronic respiratory problems are more sensitive to the fumes.
Nippon Paint Satin Glo+ an acrylic emulsion paint, is specially formulated to protect interior walls. The paint imparts a satin-like sheen to walls, and its anti-bacterial properties do not allow fungi and bacteria to breed on walls, thereby reducing allergic reactions. Its 100% acrylic paint formula reflects light even in low intensity lighting in rooms. This ultra low VOC paint does not emit any odour during and after painting hence reducing the risk of headache, nausea, or allergic reaction to fresh paint. Other properties are washability and stain resistance.
Nippon Paint India has set new benchmarks in the paint industry with its technologically advanced functional paints with emphasis on quality and sustainability from product development and manufacturing to work procedures, all of which has earned the company the prestigious Green Pro and Green-Co Gold accreditation from CII.
Nippon Paint Weatherbond Advance, an all-weather exterior paint protects homes for a minimum of 9 years due to its lamination technology incorporating silicone. It provides a shield against harsh weather conditions such as high temperatures and heavy rainfall, and also against flaking, efflorescence and alkali, dirt, algae, bacteria and fungi, and has ultra-low VOC.
Exterior emulsion paint Durafresh Xpert is specially designed for the Indian climatic conditions. It is induced by the Heat Ban Technology that renders the house to remain nearly 5 degrees cooler. The paint is resistant to dirt and algae, imparts a rich sheen finish, provides better anchoring, and enhances water repellence. The high-quality Interior Emulsion Spotless Nxt for homes, leverages the unique Swan-back technology to convert water drops to beads thereby preventing the walls from water-borne stains. This 'beading effect' ensures stains don't stay on the walls.
The company's latest Momento range of special effects paints comes in three variants: Elegant, Enhancer and Dzine. Elegant, formed with pigments and rich colours, lends matt textures to the walls and its thick formation can spread across any surface, plus it is odourless and water-based. Enhancer provides a glazed-look over the walls, and imparts frost-like textures bathed in snow, pearl or gold luster to the walls. The easy-to-use Dzine DIY range enables homeowners to design their own homes with its complete tool kit that contains a spatula, stirrer, synthetic brush and a user manual, packed in one-litre cartons with self locking mechanism. Nippon Paint India recently partnered with NIFT Chennai and held a contest with the students, wherein students were provided with the Momento range to create their own design patterns. Of the 75 entries received, Nippon Paint shortlisted nine unique patterns, which will be showcased as part of the company's promotional campaign.
Protecting The Environment
As a founding member of IGBC and an active participant, Nippon Paint has set new benchmarks in quality, and has recorded major achievements in cutting down pollution, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing waste disposal. Says Anand, "We stay committed to protection of the environment. Our focus on water-based paints, our near-zero VOC coatings, and other technologically advanced functional products, along with our sustainable manufacturing processes have earned the company the prestigious Green Pro and Green-Co Gold accreditation from the confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2015, an achievement that we are very proud of, and we will now be aiming for the Platinum rating. Nippon Paint is the first paint manufacturing company in India to receive the certificate."Skill Development
Nippon Paint has been conducting training for painters at its premises under its initiative called PROCEED - the intent being to create more skilled painters - PRO (Professional), CEED (Career, Education, Excellence & Development). "The training is aimed at educating painters on paint basics, paint manufacturing, customer etiquette, the importance of safety, health and environment, latest mechanised painting techniques, dust-proof painting, ways to speed up re-painting jobs, masking furniture, cleaning up once the paint job is done, and so on," informs Anand.
Nippon Paint seeks to align with the vision of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) in providing skill development for painters in association with NSDC. "There has already been a noticeable change in the painters who have been trained till date at the Nippon Paint academy, as they are slowly adapting to a more professional approach. We are currently planning to expand this initiative to locations beyond Chennai," says Anand. He informs that the company also engages children living in the neighbourhood to participate in educative and other recreational activities organized by it, and extends whatever support it can by way of employment to their parents, and organizes community welfare programmes as well.
Future Outlook
Though the company is currently operating within limited geographies, it plans to extend its reach across other regions and expand its product portfolio to cater to these markets through many avenues. "Creating awareness about the importance of using eco-friendly products is the task which we are currently embarking upon. Our GreenCo & GreenPro certification from CII adds further value to it and helps us in reaching these products in all the markets" says Anand."Painting happens at the end of construction. If budgets are slashed when funds diminish, it's the final product such as paints that get neglected. But consumers are becoming more design conscious, and with aspirations rising for a better and more modern lifestyle, demand for decorative paints will continue to grow. According to an IPA/Nielsen study, on an average, the owner of a 2BHK will want at least two walls with a 'designer finish', which is 10% of the Total Interior Emulsion. Increasing urbanisation and trend for decorative wall paints will drive the company's decorative paints business," he concludes.
