Jotun opens its largest facility in Asia Pacific

Jotun Malaysia has opened a new facility in Nilai. It's the largest plant of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, with an area size of 93,000 square meters, almost five times larger than the paint maker's present facility in Shah Alam. The Norwegian paint manufacturer has reported high growth year by year in Malaysia. A total of RM160 million ($53 million) has been spent on the production facility, and Jotun plans to invest a further RM100 million ($33 million) over the next 10 years as part of its expansion drive, according to Peder Bohlin, Jotun's regional director for South-East Asia and managing director for Malaysia. The Nilai plant will cater to different markets in the region. Features of the plant include its own colorant manufacturing facility, Jotun's first outside Norway, and it is also poised to be the worldwide hub for the development of unique antifouling paints. In its strategic location, it will supply protective and marine coatings to Singapore, which has closed its manufacturing facility. A new Sales-Service-Logistics & Training Centre has already been in operation since September last year in Tuas, Singapore. The Shah Alam facility will focus on producing waterborne decorative paints to serve the Malaysian and Singapore markets.