Asian Paints - India

PAINTS

Paint is a generic term for a range of chemical substances that help protect surfaces and keep them looking good. Though there are different types of paints for different surfaces, all paints are a mixture of four elements-solvents which give it its flow and enable it to be brushed on the surface, binders for cohesion as well as adhesion to the surface, pigments for color and opacity, and additives which give paints certain special characteristics such as resistance to fungus, algae, and rust.

The total turnover of the paint industry in India in 1997 was Rs. 2640 crores. A variety of paints exist for different purposes. Emulsions, distempers, luster and matte finishes and exterior finishes for walls; enamels for metals and wood; melanine based polyurethane based finishes for wood. This large number of paint types combined with the range of products manufactured within each type by any company constitute a rather complex market.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

The paint market is broadly classified as Industrial and Decorative paints.

Industrial Paints

This market can be further divided into the following four sub-segments depending on the end user profile:

 Automotive paints

 Marine paints

 Powder coatings

 High performance coatings

 Other general industrial finishes

Decorative/Architectural Finish Paints

This market can be further segmented on the basis of the following:

 Customer types : Institutional/Retail or domestic use

 Product features/Categories : Distempers, enamels, emulsions, etc.

 Price : Premium, medium, economy etc.

THE PAINT BAZAAR

Selling paints is tough, applying them is tougher and tracking them is perhaps the toughest. There are just too many types. Very Simplistically, there are only two types. One, decoratives, which are applied on walls and on furniture. Two, industrial paints, which are applied on cars, toasters, refrigerators, washing machines, and other pieces of machinery. The value of the decoratives market...