From left: Karsten Pedersen, CEO of Hempel Paints Middle East West;  Pierre-Yves Jullien, Hempel Group President and CEO; Suleiman Al Suhaimi, Al Suhaimi Holding Group Vice Chairman; Arda Saudi dancer;  Khaled Abdulrahman Al Suhaimi, Al Suhaimi Holding Group Chairman; Ole Frijs Madsen, Ambassador of Denmark to Saudi Arabia;  Richard Sand, Chairman of Hempel Group; and Madame Madsen pose for a group photo during the inauguration of the new Hempel factory in Jeddah.

 

HEMPEL Paints, a world-leading paint manufacturer for the decorative, protective, marine, container and yacht markets,  inaugurated last Thursday its largest decorative paints factory in the Middle East situated  at the Jeddah Industrial Area, Saudi Arabia at a cost of SR100 million. Occupying an area of 7,500 square meters, Hempel’s first 100 percent water-based factory in the region, has a production capacity of 32 million liters.



The launch is a culmination of the company’s efforts to reinforce its leadership in the vibrant Saudi market, as well as respond to vast production demand in the Middle East and other markets.



Pierre-Yves Jullien, Hempel Group President and CEO, speaking at the inauguration, said: “We are very proud of the launch of Hempel’s newest paint factory and are confident that it will meet the demands created by this Saudi market. The factory was built in Jeddah due to its strategic location on global sea lines and its proximity to the seaport located in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), which will facilitate logistics for exporting goods to local and global markets.”



He further said “the decorative paints market in the region enjoys substantial growth potential where it is currently valued at SR3 billion per annum. Through this latest factory, we will meet the growing demand in the region witnessed by vast investments in new buildings and infrastructure, which rely on dependable paints and thermal insulation systems that meet the laws on energy conservation in buildings.”



Jullien moreover said “the company’s total sales input in its respective market in the Kingdom amounts to approximately SR400 million and we expect this number to grow during the next coming five years after the launch of this factory. This is largely due to Hempel’s commitment to providing its consumers with the highest quality products and services, including decorative, protective and marine coatings.”



He underscored the company’s keenness on making its expertise available to customers by providing them with advice based on Hempel’s knowledge, while catering to their paints-related questions regarding paint selection and application. “For these reasons, Hempel enjoys the confidence of its customers,” he pointed out.



Eng. Essam Mohammed Al Suhaimi, Hempel Paints Middle East West Chairman, noted that “this latest factory offers products which cater to the entire market. Its variety and color-richness will surely meet the different tastes of its consumers, thus further reinforcing our leadership in the Saudi market and other markets in the region and around the world. Hempel doesn’t back down from securing top notch quality products, where it has met all quality control requirements as evidenced by its certification by the ISO 9001.”



He said the factory utilizes the latest technologies used globally to produce paints, including power silos, automatic filling, automatic palletizing and automatic transfer of pallets to the finished goods warehouse, and is equipped with the latest machinery and highly skilled, trained and qualified labor force consisting of over 70 employees. The factory will also create job opportunities for Saudi youth, and to ensure that, Hempel will provide the necessary training required in order to prepare potential employees for this line of work, Al Suhaimi averred.



Hempel is considered as one of the best decorative paint companies in Saudi Arabia, where its paints have been widely used in various infrastructure including residential projects, commercial buildings, sports stadiums, schools, hospitals, airports and other projects within the Kingdom. Its products are available at its several strategically-located showrooms and through direct supply to corporate customers and buyers. This is in addition to supplying decorative paints to all users via its network of independent distributors all over the Kingdom.



Hempel has been present in the Saudi market for more than 40 years now through its partnership with the Al Suhaimi Holding Group of Dammam.



The opening of the new factory serves as further proof of Hempel’s commitment toward the Saudi community and is another milestone in the company’s long history in the Kingdom, during which time it has been able to achieve a number of great successes.



The launch was under the patronage and attendance of  Ole Frijs-Madsen, Ambassador of Denmark to Saudi Arabia and his wife. — SG