NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 19 – Duracoat, manufacturers of Basco paints, say they are optimistic that their volumes for the 2011 financial year will grow.
Managing Director, Kamlesh Shah says the manufacturer has a number of projects lined up this year which will boost their bottom line.
He says the company is eyeing the East African Community for expansion, adding the reduction in fuel taxation would be beneficial to the business community.
"Any little bit of a reduction in fuel costs would have some direct, or some indirect impact depending on where it is positioned in one’s day-to-day life to the cost of living of any person. Kenya is extremely important to the business. But we are looking at the regional market. Expansion into the regional market is key for us," Mr Shah said.
Speaking while introducing the first ever eco-friendly range of paints into the market, Mr Shah said the paint would remain at the current recommended retail price.
"We are giving a value addition proposition. It\’s like us producing everything more efficiently so that we are able to absorb such a cost. There is no cost implication, there is no change in performance, and there is no change in the parameters of what you should expect from conventional emulsion paint as opposed to the eco-friendly emulsion paint," he said.
He further added that the construction industry had also begun to migrate towards eco-friendly practices and products.
The venture into green paints was after a rigorous research and testing locally and internationally in order to develop products that will reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
Green paint differs from conventional paints because they have significantly lower levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC\’s) – a group of chemicals that contain organic carbon and readily evaporate changing from liquid to gases when exposed to air. VOC\’s are pollutants to the Ozone layer that eventually lead to global warming
The green economy comprises of six main areas; renewable energy, green buildings (constructed using green products), clean transportation, water management and land management.
The new range of paints is termed as low VOC which is compliant to the strict 2010 EU VOC Guidelines which were set in 2007 for various paints and was further lowered in 2010.
The paints and coating industry in Kenya currently produces between 55-60 million litres per annum.
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