Raghadan Paints will touch sales of SR100 million ($26.6 million) from its Saudi factories for the first time this year, a senior official has said.

Sales and marketing director Dr Hisham Ali said the milestone would be a clear improvement of SR10 million from last year’s sales figure of SR90 million. Sales in 2008 were SR80 million.

As well as manufacturing paints, the company sells paints as an agent of other reputed manufacturers such as Akzo Nobel and San Marco. Dr Ali’s projection is that these sales will amount to around SR30 million this year against SR25 million in 2009.

The company has two factories in Riyadh both of which will probably produce a total of 14,000 tonnes of various paints this year. The company makes mainly decorative paints and building material finishes but also industrial paints and wood varnishes. Production in 2009 was 12,000 tonnes against 10,000 tonnes in the previous year.

Dr Ali said there were no plans to have a capacity expansion at the Riyadh factories as there already had been capacity upgrades from time to time over several years.

Last year, Raghadan’s Egyptian plant produced 10,000 tonnes and the Jordanian one 5,000 tonnes.

Raghadan is owned equally by Ahmad Abdul Lateef Al Naeem of Saudi Arabia and Jordanian Mustafa Ibrahim Ali, father of Dr Ali.

Emulsions, a top product
Emulsions constitute the top selling variety followed by textures. The Saudi production is exported to all GCC states and recently shipments went to Iraq and East Africa for the first time.

One of the company’s two Riyadh factories

Among the paints produced are Kansai brands which it manufactures under a technical agreement. Joint venture talks are taking place with other leading paint companies and announcements will be made once agreements are finalised, said Dr Ali.

Recent projects the company supplied to included schools, hotels, resorts, villas and private palaces.

Over the years Raghadan has supplied to iconic Saudi projects including Kingdom Tower and Al Faisaliah Tower. Major projects it was involved with in Saudi Arabia also include Al Jeraisy 10 Palaces, Disneyland Hokair Riyadh and Ahsa Intercontinental Hotel. Raghadan paints have also coated the Olympic Stadium and Village in Qatar; Emirates Towers and Jumeirah Beach Residences in Dubai, Salmaniya Medical Centre in Bahrain, the Marriott Nile Hotel in Cairo and the Jordan Hotel.

Among its offerings is the Raghadan silicon coating system which is designed to protect buildings from aggressive weather conditions and industrial emissions. According to the company, the silicon system is an ideal façade coating which keeps out liquids without hindering the wall’s water vapour permeability. It resists the build-up of dampness and dirt and reinforces silicon in capillaries and pores, thus protecting the facade, preserving the building fabric, maintaining its value and minimising façade maintenance costs.

Another product Raghadan has been highlighting is the anti-microbial coating system which it describes as a defence against bacteria, fungi and algae. These organisms can harm humans, sometimes fatally, particularly in the food catering service and medical facilities. The system is based on the anti-microbial properties of the silver ion. “Raghadan’s anti-microbial coating system is the optimum solution in anti-microbial coating applications for hospitals, medical clinics, schools, public buildings, restaurants and palaces visited by people suffering from asthma and any other facility where high hygiene is required,” said Dr Ali.

The company offers decorative special effects in velvet and in pearl (Atoshinto).