Catered by about 80 large, mid-sized and small- scale paint and coatings producers, the Malaysian paint and  coatings industry is one of the most advanced in terms of product offerings in the South East Asia region. On a CAGR basis, the industry has maintained average growth rates during last few years.

Industry overview

Catered by a host of multinational and domestic paint and coatings producers, the Malaysian paint and coatings industry has been going through one of the leanest periods in terms of demand. Sluggish economic growth during the last two years has an adverse impact on Malaysian paint and coatings industry in these two years. Production and consumption figures of paint and coatings in the year 2019 are not out at the time of going to press for this article. In the year 2018, Malaysian paint and coatings industry contacted by 9.2 percent on value basis.

South east Asia’s third-largest economy grew at one of the slowest pace in the year 2019, due to lower output of palm oil, crude oil and natural gas, and a fall in exports amid the United States-China trade war. The economic growth was the weakest since the global financial crisis of 2008-09.

COVID-19 has created huge disruption in supply chains and prices and will profoundly impact the demand of paint and coatings products, at least in the current year.
Though there are about 80 large, mid-scale and small paint and coatings producers in the country, the large 15 producers account for nearly 85 percent of the paint and coatings industry by value.

Demand for architectural coatings has been sluggish for the last three years.  2018 and 2019 were particularly bad for the architectural paint industry. On the other hand, demand for automotive and protective coatings has grown steadily in Malaysia over the years. Though Malaysia is not a significant producer of automotives,  the country’s automotive production has registered steady growth volumes, which has translated into big gains for automotive coating producers.

In the current year, the Malaysian Paint Manufacturers Association expects the industry to phase out lead usage from its offerings. In 2017, Malaysian Paint Manufacturers’ Association spearheaded an initiative amongst 17 industry players to pledge the removal of lead based ingredients in the manufacturing of paint by the end of the current year. This pledge was an initiative in line with the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP) movement, aimed at creating a mind-set change towards the implementation of lead-free paint.

AkzoNobel Malaysia

In November 2018, AkzoNobel acquired 100 percent equity in paint and coatings producer, Colourland Paints Sdn Bhd – a home-grown paints and coatings manufacturer with wide distribution across Malaysia.

Colourland Paints started in 1999 in Johor Bahru and expanded over the years to an 8.5-acre factory with more than 2,000 dealers. In 2018 the company had an annual turnover exceeding RM 80 million.

Speaking at the time of the acquisition, Oscar Wezenbeek, managing director of AkzoNobel Decorative Paints in the region said, “This deal marks another milestone in ensuring that we continue to deliver the best brand and customer experience. The combination of global and local expertise is also an excellent strategic fit and will accelerate our development as we further build on our strong market position in Malaysia.”

Kansai Malaysia

Japanese paint major, Kansai has been operating in Malaysia since 1967. In order to extend its products and distribution reach, the company acquired domestic paint and coatings producer Sancora Paint Industries Sdn Bhd in 2015. Engaged in decorative paint production in Malaysia since 1974, Sancora Paints Industries is a mid-sized paint producer. The company has sales revenue of 62 million Malaysian Ringgit in the year of acquisition.

KCC Paints Sdn Bhd

KCC Paints Sdn Bhd, subsidiary of South Korean KCC Corporation, is one of the leading producers of decorative paints, architectural finishes, marine and protective coatings, and functional coatings in Malaysia.  Located in Kota Kemuning, Selangor, the company has been operational in Malaysia since 1977. Back then, KCC was producing marine and protective coatings. Currently, the company operates two production sites, one dedicated to solvent based paint and coatings, while the other is engaged in water based products.

Jotun Malaysia

Norwegian paint and coatings producer, Jotun operates three production plants in Malaysia – a powder coating factory and decorative coating factory in Shah Alam and a coating factory for protective and marine segments in Nilai. In 2017, the company invested RM 70 million to set up a new powder coating facility in Nilai. Jotun’s powder coating facility has an installed capacity to produce 6,000 metric tons of powder coatings per annum. The company has made provisions at the facility to scale up the operations to 20,000 metric tonnes per annum in future.

Before opening of this facility, Jotun had two factories in Malaysia – a waterborne factory in Shah Alam and a solvent-based factory in Nilai. The new powder coatings factory that is spread over 4,800 square meters area is positioned within the existing Jotun Nilai facility.

According to Jotun’s Malaysia management, “Over the last 33 years, Jotun Paints Malaysia has made a remarkable contribution, bringing in a host of innovative products that protects and beautifies property. Jotun has the unique privilege of painting iconic buildings such as the majestic Burj Khalifa in United Arab Emirates, the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia and the spectacular Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, among others.”