Sipco has proven itself to be a major player in the coatings business in Saudi Arabia, Gulf area and the Middle East.
In order to explore deeply the reasons behind the success of this highly respected organisation an interview was conducted with Dr Ahmed Ismail Jomha, the general manager of Sipco who have more than 20 years of practical and academic experience in the coatings field.
Q First of all, Dr Jomha, can you brief us about Sipco?
Well, the Saudi Industrial Paint Company Limited, which is increasingly becoming better known as Sipco, was formed in 1982 as a joint venture between Saudi investors and Akzo Nobel of Holland.
It is now one of the largest 100 per cent Saudi-owned companies specialised in the development, manufacture and marketing of decorative, protective and industrial coatings, and adhesives and construction chemicals to the highest international technological standards for performance, safety and protection of the environment.
Sipco, after its outstanding success as a manufacturer of quality paints, has been fully acquired by Al Muhaidib Group, which is well-known Saudi-owned group of companies.
During its formative years Sipco also built close relationships with ICI-Devoe Coatings of the US, culminating in licensing agreements to manufacture specialised product for the protective coatings market, and in particular for Saudi Aramco, for which the company has approval for most of its product range.
Q Can you outline the developments achieved so far?
Sipco has developed an enviable reputation for supplying high quality coatings, which are technologically advanced to the highest international standards.
Many products are highly specialised and developed through licensing agreements with the industry's world leaders.
Q How far has Sipco reached in its overall performance in terms of protective coating products?
The durability and overall performance of the Sipco product range is equal to, and in some cases better than our competitors. Products are appropriately manufactured to Saudi Arabian standards (SASO), British Standards, and American standards.
Our track record in the field speaks for itself. It is sound and clean and free of any major compensation claims in 23 years of business involving the supply of thousands of tonnes of protective coatings for the protection of local and regional structures. In fact we take pride in that.
Q Who are the leading clients of Sipco in terms of protective coatings?
Sipco manufactures protective coatings to protect steel and concrete structures against environmental and chemical exposures.
This implies that our major clients are those who are active in the oil, petrochemical, water, and electricity domains. I am sure the clients in this context are very famous.
Q Pipelines are prominent business nowadays, how has Sipco reacted to this?
Yes, I agree. Sipco has taken this area seriously and responsibly. We have introduced in the market a few state-of-the-art products.
These include solvent-free 100 per cent solids technology for severely corrosive environments. We have also introduced self-priming, high build, fast curing pipe coatings to meet various service requirements.
These have very good heat resistance, making Sipco pipe coatings suitable for live pipelines.
Exceptional cathodic disbondment resistance facilitates cathodic protection of pipeline.
They have excellent track record of protection in exposed and buried areas, including both dry and wet (subkha) surroundings. Also available are exceptional emergency repair coatings for pipelines inland and in-sea with excellent underwater curing.
Q Could you explain the reputation Sipco has in its market?
Sipco retains its hard-won reputation as a major supplier of protective coatings to the petrochemical and downstream industries (SWCC, SCECO, Sabic etc).
Prominent amongst the customers for whom Sipco has approvals and provides technical and application advice as well as products are Saudi Aramco and ABV Rock, two of the largest users of protective coatings in the whole region. The division continues to develop into new areas, tackling new problems and technologies to provide protection in one of the harshest environments on the planet.
Q Is your PC Product range in line with the necessary coating requirements of renowned users present in Middle East like Aramco, PDO, Shell, Admaopco etc?
We always design our product in line with market requirements and almost all of our Pc products are approved under different coating systems in all the said organisations.
We endeavour to meet the market and client requirements. All our research and development efforts in this area must be focused to meet specific requirements of the industry.
Q What kind of coatings do you have in your range for external renovation of buried pipeline?
Aftereight years of continual research, we have come up with an excellent product (Sipoxyshield 656) with outstanding characteristics for the said purpose.
The product was under the field test at Aramco sites for more than three years and finally approved.
Q Do you have products that could be used for offshore environment onto damp steel surfaces with minimal surface preparation (surface tolerance coating)?
We have a range of Epoxy products cured with phenalkamine like Sipoxyshield 275, Sipoxyguard 276 and Bar Rust 236.
These are widely used as surface tolerance coating in their respective areas.
Q Which kind of tank linings do you have in your product range suitable for immersion service in crude oil and its derivatives?
We have some excellent products which have long track record under the said environment like Dev chem. 253 (Amine cured phenolic epoxy base product), Sipoxy shield 260 (Amine cured solvent free epoxy)
Q Which kind of coating system will you recommend from your product range that could stand against ultra-high temperature 400-540°C for atmospheric service?
We have a Silicon-Aluminum based product called SIPTHERM 520 which is quite suitable to a service temperature up to 540°C and at the same time product have moderate chemical resistance properties.
Q Which kind of specialty product do you have in your range that will be suitable for potable water immersion service?
We have a solvent-free Epoxy product called Sipoxy Guard 256 suitable for this purpose. The product is approved by WRC-NSF against BS 6920, suitable for portable water.
Dr Jomha said Sipco is in the process of developing new products and as part of this programme the PC division has launched a new generation of Elastomeric Polyurethane, Long Life Liquid Membranes under the Brand Name of SIPFLEX.
Sipco also developed and maintained a distinguished record of quality performance and standards since its foundation, resulting in the achievement of being accredited with ISO9001.
A total commitment of quality and performance throughout the workforce, has gained recognition within the industry, making Sipco formidable competitors in a demanding marketplace.
