Oman's largest paint company, Sadolin, has succeeded in expanding exports to 30 per cent of sales following an initiative over the past few years to find new markets and increase the range of products for overseas sales.

The company has two factories, one in Madinat Qaboos in Muscat city and the other, a more recently constructed production facility, at the Rusayl Industrial Estate, which is well beyond the city proper. The total production was estimated at 15 million litres per year inclusive of industrial and protective paints comprising stoving enamels, epoxy and chlorubber protective coatings and a full range of polyester putty.

Sadolin Paints (Oman) also produces decorative products, furniture finishes, automotive refinishes and adhesives.

The company is fully Omani-owned and possesses multiple manufacturing licences. It collaborates with Sadolin Paints Ltd, Denmark, part of the Akzo Nobel Group, for decorative paints and woodcare while Akzo Nobel, Italy, is the technical collaborator for furniture lacquers. Carboline International, St Louis, USA, part of the Stoncor Group, has teamed up with the company for manufacturing protective coatings, while it has a tie-up with Pidilite Industries India for making adhesives.

"The production of both paints and adhesives has seen a steady increase over the years," says Sadolin Paints (Oman) deputy general manager (technical) VK Mathur. He said customers could choose from a range of 16,000 shades through a computerised tinting system.

The company has offices and branches in the Omani cities of Sohar, Nizwa and Sur as well as in the Dubai and Bahrain with distributors in all other GCC countries.

The furniture paints are the clear, pigmented, acid catalysed PU systems that have a matt to high gloss in nitrocellulose. The ancillary products in the furniture paints section are sealers and putties.

The automotive refinishes are the quick-drying high-gloss synthetic ones, nitrocellulose enamels with the ancillary product range including primer surfacers, NC and polyester putty.

The adhesives are wood glues, contact adhesives for foam and packaging and carpet adhesives.

The decorative paints cover a range of emulsions from economic contract emulsions to premium luxury range. The emulsions in gloss cover levels from matt to high. There is also a range of textured finishes with patterns from fine to heavy with marble chips, tile finishes and ancillary products such as sealers, putties and roof coatings.

The range of enamels goes from general purpose to premium range in different gloss levels. The environment friendly enamels are free of lead and chrome. The enamels range also includes primers and undercoats.

Sadolin Oman's woodcare range includes varnishes for interiors and exteriors as well as floor lacquers. There are also paints that are water and weather resistant with antifungal and insecticide properties.

The company has certifications for ISO-9001 and ISO-14001. "We were the first paint manufacturing company in the GCC to be certified under ISO-9000 standards and the first paint company in the Middle East to be certified under ISO-14001 for environmental management standards," said Mathur. The company was awarded the Omani Sultan's Cup for best companies in 1994 and certificates of merit in 1999 and 2000.

Mathur said it was challenging to survive in a situation where prices were declining due to over capacity in the region and where there was increasing pressure to reduce costs.

About the support he would like to receive from the Omani government and from GCC governments, Mathur said he would welcome assistance in exports promotion and in the reduction or abolition of import duties for manufacturers.