General Authorities of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia awards SR1.5m contract to Jotun Paints

The agreement covers a three-year maintenance contract for 23 existing domestic airports in KSA, and the delivery of paint products for new airports, which are being constructed in the country as part of the $36.8bn expansion plan that the regional aviation industry is set to undertake in 2008.

After a thorough assessment of the requirements of the local airports, Jotun has proposed its Fenomastic Gold for the interior and Jotashield Thermo for the exterior of the structures. Identified as the most suitable product for a project of this nature, Fenomastic Gold's industry-leading features include antibacterial properties, anti-flame features and crack tolerance up to one millimetre, which are perfect for high traffic areas. In line with 'green' initiatives, which are rapidly becoming a trend among the region's most important sectors, the project will also benefit from the thermal insulation properties of Jotashield Thermo, which facilitates superior heat deflection, and reduces interior temperature and cooling costs.

'With the huge boom in air travel, as evident in the 18% increase in air traffic in the Middle East, which is well above the global average of 7.5%, it is expected that most of the states in the GCC will expand their airports or build new ones,' said Dilip Tambe, Sales Manager Projects, Jotun Paints.

'We see this as a perfect opportunity for us to highlight our best-of-breed paint products and solutions, which we have designed to meet the demand and cater to the unique needs of highly specialised sectors. Our partnership with GACA is another huge undertaking that further expands our link with the regional airline industry.'

Jotun has been increasing its presence in the Saudi Arabian market, amidst the country's booming construction sector that is fuelling the demand for high quality paint solutions. With 160 major outlets currently operating across the Kingdom, the manufacturer is seeking to further expand its dealer network, which markets its innovative decorative and protective products. In addition, Jotun has also laid out plans to increase the manufacturing capacity of its Jeddah and Yanbu plans, which are currently producing 50 million litres of paint per year, to satisfy the growing demand for paint in Saudi Arabia every year.

'Through our active involvement with a majority of mega projects in Saudi Arabia and the reinforcement of our dedicated sales team and paint professionals across our local branches in the country, we are aiming to entrench our presence within this rapidly growing market. Our strategy entails a structured plan to penetrate booming markets apart from the construction industry, such as the aviation sector,' concluded Gunnar Thoresen, Managing Director, Jotun Saudia Co Ltd.

Having established a strong repute in developing highly innovative paint solutions, Jotun has pioneered a number of breakthrough products and technologies, which have been designed to adapt to extreme weather conditions, especially in the Middle East region. This includes a variety of conventional and specialized paints, which have been formulated using the latest technological innovations in paint production. As a result, the company's range of decorative, protective, marine, floor/concrete protection and intumescent coatings has been used in a number of high profile projects in the region.