The new plant in Jeddah’s Second Industrial City is the most advanced solvent based coatings plant in the Middle East and is part of the company’s growth strategy, says Group Vice-President KARSTEN PEDERSEN
Hempel, a leading global coating company, has recorded a new industry milestone with its new state-of-the-art plant—the most advanced solvent based coatings plant in the Middle East.
Built with an estimated cost of $8.5 million to build, the technologically advanced factory represents the latest investment by Hempel group as part of its belief and contribution in the growth strategy associated with the 2030 vision of the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs Mohammad Bin Salman.
The facility in Jeddah’s Second Industrial City spans across 15,000 sq m and can produce up to 12 million litres per year of supply coatings to the marine and protective segments.
This investment is a significant step towards maintaining and growing Hempel’s leadership position in the coating industry –and as the supplier to one of the world’s top leading oil companies, Saudi Aramco and their business partners, says a company spokesman.
The inaugurate ceremony was held in October 2019, was attended by Middle East – West Chairman Essam Mohammed Al Suhaimi, Group Vice-President Karsten Pedersen, Country Manager Yusuf Al Sayed, Hempel management, valued customers, local government officials and local media. Production started in September 2019.
“The new solvent-based coatings plant marks a significant milestone for Hempel in Saudi Arabia, which is a vital market for us. We strive to continuously improve the quality of products and service for our customers using cutting-edge technology,” says Pedersen.
On his part, Al Sayed says: “This facility is going to play a significant role in boosting local economy and creating new job opportunities, all in line with our commitment towards making the 2030 vision a reality”.
Meanwhile, Hempel has lanched a new generation fire-protection coating, Hempafire Optima 500 –specifically designed to improve the productivity of passive fire protection (PFP) coating applications. It achieves this by reducing the number of coats required and the process time required to apply them, saving time and costs.
Hempafire Optima 500 helps to maintain the stability of steel structures in large infrastructure buildings such as airports, stadiums and commercial centres by delivering up to 180 minutes protection against cellulosic fires, being optimised for 120 minutes. It is a one component waterborne acrylic intumescent coating with zero volatile organic compounds (VOC) and can be used for both open and closed steel sections.
Hempel’s Group Product Manager, Cellulosic PFP, Roger Soler, says: “When developing Hempafire Optima 500, we created a coating to enhance efficiency for customers by increasing their productivity and reducing costs. Thickness build-up of the coating can be achieved in less coats that dry faster. Thus, application costs and time to deliver are reduced. We also wanted a coating that outperforms in warm climates such as those found in the Middle East and in parts of Europe. We’ve managed to achieve this without compromising the protection or the aesthetic finish.
Hempafire Optima 500 is fast drying and highly resistant to sagging. The application which can be delivered in two days as part of Hempel’s PFP system, outperforms in warm conditions and provides two-hour fire protection in ISO 12944 C3 interior environments. It dries to an excellent aesthetic finish meaning there is minimum surface reworks to achieve the required cosmetic finish when applying a topcoat. The ease of application allows customers to improve their painting process by reducing the number of coats needed, minimising drying times and maximising the speed of the application.
At 40 deg C, it comfortably holds up 750 microns (µm) dry film thickness (DFT) per coat, and can be overcoated in just three hours. For applications where speed is the key, coats of 500 µm DFT can be applied every 75 minutes and recoated with a PU topcoat after 16 hours. This means that the whole system - primer, PFP, and topcoat - can be applied and dry to handle within a 48-hour period.
Hempel specialises in the production of coatings and paints for products used in interior decoration and insulation to protect buildings from extreme weather conditions. It relies mainly on R&D and advanced manufacturing technologies to produce high quality products which in turn contribute to the company’s efficient functioning.
Hempel Saudi Arabia was established in 1973 with four main branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, Jubail and Yanbu and a factory in Dammam. The company has a dominant stake in the Saudi market and has contributed to the preservation of many vital buildings in various Saudi cities through its technologically-advanced products.
