Raghadan Paints has its eyes firmly set on emerging new markets such as Iraq and Africa, which are expected to perform better in an environment that is getting more business-friendly. 

“Our expansion plans include Iraq and Africa, which have become relatively safer, with their construction activities showing signs of life,” says Dr Hisham Ali, sales and marketing director.

A 5,000 sq m Raghadan factory with a production capacity of 6,000 tonnes that recently opened in Jordan will fuel trade relations with Iraq as Iraqi customers in Jordan are keen to do business with Saudi Arabia.

“This can extend our business into Syria and Palestine too,” says Dr Ali.

Raghadan has recently doubled the production capacities of its factories in Saudi Arabia and Egypt to 50,000 tonnes. While the Saudi plants will produce building material finishes that will largely cater to the GCC markets, the factory in Cairo will serve as a base for potential North African markets.

Topping off Raghadan’s new offerings are special decorative products such as Cadoro and Marco Polo.

Explaining their features, Dr Ali says: “Cadoro is a decorative finish with a special iridescent effect characterised by a silky and soft-to-the-touch look. It is ideal for creating suggestive classical and modern settings.

“Marco Polo is a decorative finish with a metallic effect and when used on ‘rough’ surfaces it takes on the incidental lighting to create a bright chromatic impression. It is available in scuffed, machined and wave décor styles.”

Raghadan produces a wide range of items including emulsion and enamel paints, primers and textures, industrial paints, selants and isolations, NC and epoxy paints, wood coatings and varnishes and creative decorative paints such as those having pearl and velvet effects. The latest in its paint production are the silicon and anti-microbial coating systems.

The silicon coating system is an ideal façade coating useful in areas which suffer harsh weather conditions and industrial emissions. It helps keep out water absorption without hindering the wall’s water vapour permeability and resists the buildup of dirt and dampness. The coating helps protect the building fabric and minimises façade maintenance costs.

Shades pleasing to the eye from the Raghadan repertoire

Raghadan’s anti-microbial coating system is the paint solution for hospitals, clinics, schools, public buildings, restaurants and any other facility that requires high standards of hygiene, the company says.  The coating system has the properties of silver ion that prevent bacterial growth.

The latest trends in decorative paints are included in the production. Raghadan’s decorative paints are environmentally friendly and give a stylish touch to the interior décor.

Raghadan’s decorative paints are Velvet (providing, as the name suggests, a velvet effect), Atoshinto (pearl effect), Fresco (matt wavy effect), Raghadan Glaze (effects of marble, glaze and colour wash), Stucco Veneziano (marble effect), Marmorino (strong marble effect, also good in harsh climates), Reflessi (special pearl effect) and Aquasil (matt and pearl effects, good for severe climates, highly resistant to water and durable and washable).

The Riyadh-based company is considered to be the largest Arabic paint company. It embraces four paint factories and six paint companies (in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Britain), 15 branches, 20 agents and more than 500 authorised distributors in the Arab World.

Its activities cover the entire spectrum of the paint business - from manufacturing, selling, and distribution to exports, imports, designing, application and supervision.

Besides its own products, the company is also a leading importer of paints from various well-known international suppliers including Europe’s Akzo Nobel (Levis), Japan’s Kansai Paint, which is one of the top 10 worldwide, and Italy-based Vernici Milesi, which produces quality polyurethane wood varnishes in addition to Colorificio San Marco.

Raghadan’s recent projects include Aqaba’s new municipality building, Al Bait University and civil defence structures in Jordan, residential and commercial towers in Kuwait and various villas, palaces, hotels and hospitals in the GCC region as a whole.