Top Banner
1 | Page 1. EVOLUTION OF THE PAINT INDUSTRY Paint is defined as the group of emulsions, consisting of pigments suspended in a liquid medium, for use as decorative or protective coatings. ―Paint‖ ranges from the broad group of environmentally-sound latex paints used to decorate and protect homes and the translucent coatings that line the interior of food containers, to the chemically-complex, multi-component finishes that automobile manufacturers apply on the assembly line. Paint the group of emulsions generally consisting of pigments suspended in a liquid medium for use as decorative or protective coatings made its earliest appearance about 30,000 years ago. Cave dwellers used crude paints to leave behind the graphic representations of their lives that even today decorate the walls of their ancient rock dwellings. The paint and coatings industry, however, had to wait for the Industrial Revolution before it became a recognized element of the American national economy. The first recorded paint mill in America was reportedly established in Boston in 1700 by Thomas Child. A century and a half later, in 1867, D.R. Averill of Ohio patented the first prepared or "ready mixed" paints in the United States. In the mid-1880s, paint factories began springing up in population and industrial centres across the nation. Mechanization was making the manufacturing process accessible to a larger and less specialized group of entrepreneurs. The weight of prepared paint makes it expensive to transport, so a decentralized structure of small manufacturers in discrete markets dominated the industry until the mid-1900s. Besides mechanizing and professionalizing the paint industry, the Industrial Revolution also created vast new markets for paints and coatings. Virtually every product created on an assembly line from the Model T Ford to the latest-model television makes extensive use of paints and coatings to beautify, protect and extend the life of the manufactured goods.
108
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Paint Report

1 | P a g e

1. EVOLUTION OF THE PAINT INDUSTRY

Paint is defined as the group of emulsions, consisting of pigments suspended in a

liquid medium, for use as decorative or protective coatings. ―Paint‖ ranges from the

broad group of environmentally-sound latex paints used to decorate and protect

homes and the translucent coatings that line the interior of food containers, to the

chemically-complex, multi-component finishes that automobile manufacturers apply

on the assembly line.

Paint — the group of emulsions generally consisting of pigments suspended in a

liquid medium for use as decorative or protective coatings — made its earliest

appearance about 30,000 years ago. Cave dwellers used crude paints to leave behind

the graphic representations of their lives that even today decorate the walls of their

ancient rock dwellings.

The paint and coatings industry, however, had to wait for the Industrial Revolution

before it became a recognized element of the American national economy. The first

recorded paint mill in America was reportedly established in Boston in 1700 by

Thomas Child. A century and a half later, in 1867, D.R. Averill of Ohio patented the

first prepared or "ready mixed" paints in the United States.

In the mid-1880s, paint factories began springing up in population and industrial

centres across the nation. Mechanization was making the manufacturing process

accessible to a larger and less specialized group of entrepreneurs. The weight of

prepared paint makes it expensive to transport, so a decentralized structure of small

manufacturers in discrete markets dominated the industry until the mid-1900s.

Besides mechanizing and professionalizing the paint industry, the Industrial

Revolution also created vast new markets for paints and coatings. Virtually every

product created on an assembly line — from the Model T Ford to the latest-model

television — makes extensive use of paints and coatings to beautify, protect and

extend the life of the manufactured goods.

Page 2: Paint Report

2 | P a g e

Many of today's paints and coatings may go unnoticed by the consumer, but play

immeasurably valuable roles in delivering high-quality foodstuffs, durable goods,

housing, furniture and thousands of other products to market. Total sales for the

industry were approximately $20.9 billion in 2006.

As soon as the impact and potential risks of various paint components have been

quantified, paint manufacturers take action. Historically, the industry readily

responded to environmental and health concerns by altering the chemistry of its

products to control risks. Paint manufacturers started replacing lead pigments in some

paints, for example, before World War II, when safer alternatives became available.

Industry consensus standards limiting the use of lead pigments date back to the 1950s,

when manufacturers led a voluntary effort to remove lead from house paints.

Common house paints have contained little, if any, lead since then. In 1978, the

Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead in consumer paint.

Contemporary paints and coatings consist of countless compounds uniquely

formulated to fulfil the varied requirements of hundreds of thousands of applications.

"Paint" ranges from the broad group of environmentally-sound latex paints that many

consumers use to decorate and protect their homes and the translucent coatings that

line the interior of food containers, to the chemically-complex, multi-component

finishes that automobile manufacturers apply on the assembly line.

However you look at it, paints and coatings have evolved from the simple Early Man

colours on cave walls into a primary protective barrier between our possessions and

our environment.

Page 3: Paint Report

3 | P a g e

GLOBAL PAINT INDUSTRY

1.1 OVERVIEW

The current global economic downturn has affected virtually every industry, including

paints and coatings. Over the period 2002 to 2007 the global paint and coatings

industry grew at an annual rate of nearly five percent in terms of volume and nearly

seven percent in terms of revenue. The market slowed significantly in 2008 and is

projected to be flat to declining for 2009. Orr & Boss estimates that total global 2008

revenues for the paint and coatings industry were approximately US$93 billion on a

volume of more than 27 billion litres.

Pie Chart Showing the Total Global Coatings Sales Volume

Source: Coatings World Magazine

In terms of sales volume, Asia-Pacific has become the largest geographic region

accounting for more than 35% of the total global coatings volume. Europe is the next

largest region at nearly 30% of the global volume. NAFTA trails Europe and makes

up 21% of the volume. The balance of the market volume is split between Latin

America and the rest of the world (ROW). Market distribution based on coatings

value varies from the volume distribution. Europe is the largest region in terms of

coatings value, representing approximately 35% of the market volume. Asia-Pacific

trails Europe and comprises roughly 31% of the global value. As with volume,

Asia-Pacific35%

Europe30%

NAFTA21%

Latin America and ROW14%

Asia-Pacific Europe NAFTA Latin America and ROW

Page 4: Paint Report

4 | P a g e

NAFTA is the third largest region making up approximately 24% of the market. Latin

America and ROW split the balance.

1.2 GLOBAL PRODUCTS

The paint industry can be broadly classified as decorative/architectural paints and

industrial paints. Decorative paints were mainly used for painting interior and exterior

of houses, office buildings, and factories and articles like wooden furniture. The

industrial include automotive paints, powder coating paints, marine paints and special

purpose coatings.

Decorative coatings are the largest of the major segments representing approximately

51% of the global volume and 43% of the global coatings value. The balance of the

market is distributed across the nine industrial market segments with general

industrial being the largest, comprising roughly ten percent of the volume and 11% of

the market value.

Globally, the decorative coating segment has grown at an annual rate of more than

five percent in volume and nearly eight percent in value over the past five years.

Similarly, industrial coatings have grown more than six percent annually in volume

Page 5: Paint Report

5 | P a g e

and slightly more than seven percent in value. Within the industrial sector, powder

coatings and industrial maintenance and protective coatings have posted the highest

average annual growth rates both in terms of volume and value. Packaging coatings

and automotive refinish have experienced the lowest average growth rates. It is

important to note that there has been significant regional variation in growth rates

within the various major market segments.

1.3 GLOBAL PLAYERS

The world coatings industry is not yet a real oligopoly. The top firm Akzo Nobel

owns only about 10% of the market, and the top five companies own about 30%.The

top 11 companies were American, European and Japanese companies. Most have

extensive multinational operations. Many of these companies are involved in other

manufacturing areas, especially chemicals. Almost all of them have expanded

operations into China, India, South America, and Eastern Europe. According to a

survey conducted by the Paint and Coating Magazine the top ten players are:

COMPANY HEADQUARTERS

Akzo Nobel Netherlands

PPG United States of America

Sherwin Williams United States of America

Du Pont Coatings United States of America

ICI Paints United Kingdom

BASF Coatings Germany

Valspar United States of America

Sigma Kalon Group Netherlands

Nippon Paints Japan

Kansai Paints Japan

Source: PGI Magazine

AKZO NOBEL NV

Akzo Nobel is the world‘s largest coatings manufacturer and holds leading positions

in most of its business. Despite difficult market conditions, coatings reported

excellent performance with revenue growth at 5 percent, reaching €6.537 billion

($9.628 billion). Its portfolio includes decorative paints; products for industrial

Page 6: Paint Report

6 | P a g e

applications including powder and specialty coatings; car refinishes; marine,

protective and aerospace coatings; and coatings-related products such as wood and

building adhesives. Brands include global and household names such as

International®, Sikkens®, Crown®, Interpon®, Levis® and Sadolin®.

Recent Acquisitions and Divestments

In November 2007, Akzo sold Organon BioSciences (OBS) to Schering-Plough Corp.

The company also finalized the acquisition of Imperial Chemical Industries plc (ICI)

on January 2, 2008. Akzo intends to consolidate its position as the world leader in

decorative paints and performance coatings in all product markets. It will focus on

growth in the emerging markets of Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, and South and

Central America through a combination of organic growth and selected acquisition. It

intends to strengthen its position in key mature markets through small and medium-

sized acquisition. In July 2007, the company‘s Powder Coatings business opened its

first production plant in Russia. In January 2008, the Powder Coatings business

opened a landmark facility in Dubai, strengthening its presence in the Middle East.

Further expansion in China in 2007 included opening manufacturing plants in

Chengdu, Sichuan province, and a new Decorative Coatings site in Langfang in

northern China.

PPG INDUSTRIES INC.

PPG‘s coatings business is made up of coatings for auto OEM, auto refinish,

industrial, architectural, aerospace, packaging, and protective and marine applications.

PPG is the technology leader in coatings for the wood-flooring industry. Additionally,

PPG is a leader in the supply of paints for consumer electronics, including cell

phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and computers. It is the largest producer

worldwide of transportation OEM and refinishes coatings. It also has a global position

in industrial and packaging coatings and is a major player in architectural coatings in

the United States. Coatings represent about 67 percent of 2007 corporate sales of

$11.2 billion. Industrial Coatings sales increased $410 million or 13 percent in 2007.

Performance Coatings net sales increased $720 million or 23% in 2007.

Page 7: Paint Report

7 | P a g e

Recent Acquisitions and Divestments

In 2007, South Africa-based Barloworld, Ltd. sold its Australian architectural paint

unit, Barloworld Coatings Australia, to PPG Industries. PPG also completed its

acquisition of the architectural and industrial coatings businesses of Renner

Sayerlack, S.A., Gravatai, Brazil, and acquired certain assets of Champion Coatings,

Inc., of Houston. PPG completed the acquisition of the SigmaKalon Group, a

worldwide coatings producer based in Uithoorn, the Netherlands, on Jan. 2, 2008.

DUPONT COATINGS & COLOR TECHNOLOGIES GROUP

DuPont Coatings & Colour Technologies Group‘s platform includes its core markets

of automotive, collision repair, paper, industrial coatings, architectural coatings and

plastics. The company offers high-performance liquid and powder coatings as well as

high-performance specialty products. The group is also the largest manufacturer in the

world of titanium dioxide. In 2007, global coatings sales were $4.4 billion. North

American coatings sales in 2007 are estimated at $1.4 billion. DuPont, the parent

company, had worldwide sales of $29.4 billion in 2007

In January 2008, DuPont Performance Coatings opened a plant in the Jiading district

of Shanghai. DuPont also entered into an agreement with German automotive

coatings manufacturer Bollig & Kemper to use DuPont‘s EcoConcept coatings

technology in plants in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS Co.

The Sherwin-Williams Co. is engaged in the manufacture, distribution and sale of

coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial and retail

customers primarily in North and South America. The company has three operating

segments: Paint Stores Group, Consumer Group and Global Group. Consolidated net

sales in 2007 increased $195.5 million, or 2.5 percent, to $8.005 billion in the year,

due primarily to strong paint sales by the Global Group and by stores open for more

than 12 calendar months in the Paint Stores Group. It is estimated that between 70 to

75 percent of sales, or about $6.0 billion, represents coatings sales, with the remainder

being related products, including wall coverings, floor coverings and application

supplies. Sherwin-Williams have company-operated stores in all 50 states, Canada

Page 8: Paint Report

8 | P a g e

and some countries in Latin America. The company also manufactures and sells

coatings such as Dutch Boy, Pratt & Lambert, Martin-Senour, Dupli-Color, Krylon,

Thompson‘s and Minwax, plus private-label brands to independent dealers, mass

merchandisers and home-improvement centres. Sherwin-Williams produce coatings

for original equipment manufacturers in a number of industries and special-purpose

coatings for the automotive-aftermarket, industrial-maintenance and traffic-paint

markets.

Recent Acquisitions and Divestments

In 2007, Sherwin-Williams completed seven acquisitions, including four outside the

United States. Foreign investments included NITCO, an architectural coatings

company in India; Pinturas Industriales, an industrial paint company headquartered in

Montevideo, Uruguay; NAPKO, an industrial-maintenance coatings company in

Monterrey, Mexico; and Flex Recubrimientos, Acabados Automotrices and related

companies, leading manufacturers and distributors of automotive after-market body

fillers, putties, primers and other vehicle refinish products headquartered in

Monterrey, Mexico. Acquisitions inside the United States included M.A. Bruder, a

Philadelphia-based company with 132 paint stores; Spokane-based Columbia Paint &

Coatings; and VHT Paint Lines, an aerosol coatings company in Scottsdale, AZ. The

company also formed a joint venture with Altair Nanotechnologies, called AlSher

Titania, to commercialize a new, low-cost Ti02 pigment manufacturing technology.

In February 2008, Sherwin-Williams announced it had acquired Becker Powder

Coatings Inc. in North America. The company also announced it had signed a

definitive agreement to acquire the Liquid Coatings Subsidiaries of Inchem Holdings

of Inchem Holdings International Ltd., a producer of coatings applied to wood and

plastic products in Asia.

ICI PAINTS

As of the end of 2007, ICI Paints was a leading international paint business and

accounted for 49 percent of the Group‘s continuing sales in 2007.

On January 2, 2008, AkzoNobel purchased ICI. In May 2008, AkzoNobel announced

that the ICI name will no longer be used, but the ICI logo will continue to appear on

relevant products during the migration period.

Page 9: Paint Report

9 | P a g e

BASF COATINGS AG

BASF Coatings, a division of the world‘s largest chemical company, BASF, produces

and markets a high-quality range of automotive OEM paints, automotive refinish and

industrial coatings as well as decorative paints. When it comes to automotive OEM

coatings, BASF Coatings is among the top three global leaders. For its industrial

coatings, the company focuses on coil, foil, liquid and powder coatings. BASF‘S

architectural coatings activities are based in Europe and South America. Since the

integration of the RELIUS Group in early 2007, BASF Coatings offers construction

paints for interior and exterior applications as well as external wall insulation systems

in Europe. 2007 coatings sales increased 7 percent from 2006.In 2007, BASF

Coatings opened a new training centre in Shenyang, China, for the company‘s refinish

coatings product users.

VALSPAR CORP.

Valspar achieved growth of 9.1 percent in 2007. The company operates its coatings-

related businesses in two reportable segments: Paints and Coatings. Sales in the Paints

segment increased 10.5 percent (2007 revenue of $1,088.8 million) and 10.0 percent

in the Coatings segment (2007 revenue of $1,851.7 million), for a total coatings sales

of $2,941 billion. Sales growth was driven by strong performance in new acquisitions

and international operations. International sales rose 34 percent to $1.2 billion. The

company‘s fastest-growing markets are China, Latin America and Eastern Europe. In

2007, revenues from Asia increased more than 80 percent.

In Sept. 2007, Valspar acquired Teknos Nova Coil TNC Oy, a Helsinki-based

manufacturer of high-performance coil coatings widely used in the construction

industry. The company also successfully transitioned Lowe‘s premium paint line to

the Valspar brand and introduced Cabot stains at stores across the United States.

SIGMA KALON GROUP BV

As of January 2, 2008, SigmaKalon Group BV was purchased by PPG Industries and

is now a subsidiary of PPG. With a portfolio of leading brands, SigmaKalon is a

worldwide player in decorative, marine, protective and industrial coatings.

Page 10: Paint Report

10 | P a g e

SigmaKalon Group BV is headquartered in Uithoorn, the Netherlands, and was

formed in 1999 from a subsidiary of Total SA. The company employs around 10,000

people in more than 40 countries, with a focus on Europe, Asia and Africa. It has

plants and research and development facilities in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands

and Belgium. SigmaKalon USA LLC was formed on Feb. 1, 2006, in Houston as a

Sales, Marketing and Technical group and as an integral part of the Protective

Coatings (Industrial) & Marine operating unit of the SigmaKalon worldwide

company.

NIPPON PAINT CO.

Japan‘s oldest paint company is also its largest. Nippon Paint produces coatings for

the automotive and marine markets as well as other industrial products. It also makes

paints for residential and commercial buildings and for the do-it-yourself market.

Nippon Paint‘s manufacturing operations are located principally in Asia, but the

company also has facilities in North America and Europe. In the United States, it has

two subsidiaries that manufacture and sell paints: NB Coatings (liquid automotive

coatings for plastic) and NPA Coatings (automotive body coatings and powder

coatings).

RPM INTERNATIONAL INC.

RPM is a holding company with subsidiaries that are world leaders in specialty

coatings and sealants serving both industrial and consumer markets. Industrial

products include corrosion control coatings, flooring coatings and specialty

chemicals. Major industrial brands are Stonhard, Tremco, Illbruck, Carboline, Day-

Glo and Dryvit. Consumer products are used by professionals and do-it-yourselves for

home maintenance and improvement, boat repair and maintenance, and by hobbyists.

Page 11: Paint Report

11 | P a g e

1.4 GROWTH INFLUENCERS

There are a number of factors that affect coatings demand. Three major determinants

are overall economic activity, construction levels and by the quantity of specific end-

use products manufactured such as automobiles, furniture and containers. The period

2002 to 2007 saw significant growth in the global economy with global GDP

expanding at a compound annual rate of more than seven percent. The growth rate fell

to less than four percent for 2008. In their most recent projection, the International

Monetary Fund forecasts a 2009 growth in GDP of only 0.5%. This is the lowest

forecast annual global growth rate since World War II. Clearly the stagnation of the

global economy is having a negative impact on overall coatings demand.

Construction activity directly impacts a number of end-use markets and is a major

driver of coatings demand. In addition to the decorative coatings segment, industrial

maintenance, coil coatings and wood finishes are tied to construction. These end-use

segments make up approximately 70% of overall coatings demand. Following years

of significant expansion, the global construction market has dropped off considerably.

Specifically, construction markets in leading Western economies are forecast to

decline in 2009. The North American construction market is projected to shrink by

roughly nine percent. The construction market in Japan is forecast to decline by seven

percent and Europe is projected to decline by nearly two percent. For the near term,

the decorative, industrial maintenance, coil and wood finishes markets will be

negatively impacted by this decline in the construction market.

Industrial coatings demand is, by and large, driven by the demand for, and production

of, the end use products. For example, transportation coatings demand is dictated by

the number of cars, trucks and planes that are built. Unfortunately, demand for these

manufactured products is down significantly. In 2008, global vehicle production

declined more than five percent versus 2007 and a further decline of nearly nine

percent is forecast for 2009. Transportation is not the only market facing a downturn.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is projecting that the

Manufacturing Index for the U.S. will fall below 2002 levels during the course of

2009.

Regional growth in coatings demand has mirrored regional economic development.

Over the past five years, those regions that have seen the greatest economic growth

Page 12: Paint Report

12 | P a g e

have experienced the greatest increase in coatings demand. This is most evident in the

Asia-Pacific region where both GDP and coatings volume have been growing in

excess of ten percent per year. It is important to note, however, that while growth

follows the overall economy, there is wide disparity in per capita coatings demand.

North America has the largest per capita demand followed closely by Europe. Other

regions of the world lag by a significant margin. Chart 3 depicts coatings demand per

capita for each region.

Source: Coatings World Magazine

1.5 GROWTH PATTERN OF THE GLOBAL PAINT INDUSTRY

The coatings industry is one of the most truly global industries in the world. Coatings

are manufactured virtually everywhere, although the industrial world accounts for

around 70% of global consumption. While the industry as a whole is growing at only

about 3% annually, the portion that uses instrumentation is growing much faster.

The last ten years have seen an enormous consolidation of the industry as large

companies have bought up global market share. The Financial Times reports that in

1979 the top ten paint manufacturers accounted for 15% of total global sales. By 1996

the top ten companies sold a quarter of all coatings. This number further reduced in

2000. According to Chemical and Engineering News, there were 1,100 paint

companies making paint in the US ten years ago, and now there are fewer than 800.

Per Capita Coatings Demand by Region

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

North

America

Europe Latin

America

Asia

Pacific

ROW

North America

Europe

Latin America

Asia Pacific

ROW

Page 13: Paint Report

13 | P a g e

This consolidation has increased the market share of major suppliers, but at the

expense of profitability.

While this consolidation has substantially changed the competitive makeup of the

industry, it has not made it monolithic by any means. The industry contains a huge

and growing number of niche markets. There are many small coating companies that

do quite well in specialized markets, and even the major industry players are more

masses of small niche market companies than large companies with standardized

markets and products. Many of the smaller companies are in specialized markets with

relatively high-tech products.

Much of the impetus for the change in the industry has been the new environmental

laws throughout the world mandating coatings that use less of the solvents that

contribute to air pollution. There have also been breakthroughs in the quality of

coatings that have made the industry more competitive and at the same time have

created new markets for new coating products. Another competitive factor is the race

to find cheaper ways of producing coatings. In this increasingly competitive field the

goal is to create cheap, clean, high quality products and find new applications for

them. The most important of these competitive drivers remains the need to comply

with environmental laws.

The growth of the various new coating technologies has been very uneven throughout

the world, with specific local laws and cultural preferences contributing to the

acceptance (or lack of it) from country to country. Germany, for example, has been

quick to embrace water-borne paint technology. The technology has gained little

acceptance in the US, however, where the high-solid paints that have not caught on in

Europe are much more popular. There are indications that Europe has become the

centre of new coating technology development, partly due to more uniform

environmental laws.

Despite the erratic growth pattern of various coating products in different regions,

there is a global pattern that clearly shows virtually all countries moving toward more

high-tech forms of coatings. This is good news for instrument makers since the more

sophisticated the coating product and the more difficult the competition in coatings

Page 14: Paint Report

14 | P a g e

becomes, the more coatings companies will need instrumentation to give them a

competitive edge.

There is a wide range of instrument techniques used by the coatings industry, for a

similarly wide range of purposes. The main use is still in quality control and quality

assurance, but research into new coating products is increasingly important as well.

Many coating companies have used the mandate for clean coating technologies to

come up with products that not only reduce pollution, but have superior performance

as well. And with the slimmer margins most companies have seen since the massive

consolidation, coatings companies are looking for ways to produce more innovative

and environmentally friendly products with higher efficiency and tighter quality

control than ever before. The highly fragmented, niche-driven nature of this market

presents an opportunity to makers of nearly every type of analytical instrumentation,

but growth considerably faster than the average is expected for

rheometers/viscometers, thermal analyzers and particularly hyphenated GC, which is

expected to see growth well into double digits.

1.6 IMPACT OF THE DOWNTURN

The global economic downturn is affecting companies across the entire coating

industry value chain. Raw material suppliers, formulators, distributors and applicators

are all struggling to manage declining demand. Companies must take action to

address the current market conditions. In order to effectively manoeuvre through this

downturn, Orr & Boss recommends that companies focus on three key strategies:

reducing operating costs, reducing working capital and managing top line sales.

To reduce operating costs companies must take a hard look at business processes,

work flows and organizational structures to identify means of eliminating non-value

added activities while preserving the ability to meet customer requirements. These

efforts must cross all areas of the business. In addition, companies need to identify

ways to reduce material and energy waste. Raw materials are by far a company‘s

largest component of cost, so minor savings can have a major impact. Furthermore,

savings related to material and energy management will immediately impact the

bottom-line.

Page 15: Paint Report

15 | P a g e

Working capital requirements for specialty chemicals manufacturers and formulated

products companies can be as high as 40% of sales. These requirements tie up

significant resources and affect the borrowing ability of the business. Two key areas

that companies can target are inventories and receivables. The challenge with

optimizing these areas is maintaining service levels while reducing working capital.

Lowering working capital at the expense of losing key customers is not a sustainable

strategy.

The effects of the global downturn are felt across the value chain, including your

customers. Their needs and expectations have likely changed as they attempt to

manage these difficult market conditions. Suppliers must be able to adapt to these

changes. Pricing strategies, credit terms, product mix and service offerings may need

to be altered to meet these shifting needs. In addition, the present economic climate

may present new market opportunities. Businesses that are able to respond will gain a

competitive advantage by being well positioned when the inevitable recovery occurs.

1.7 STEPS TAKEN TO COUNTER THE DOWNTURN

The economies of many countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and its

neighbours, have dragged down into the recession after several years of strong growth

in their gross domestic product (GDP).In February the region was on the edge of a

full-blown economic crisis as investors pulled out of the area, sending local currencies

into a sharp decline, which prompted calls for a rescue package provided by the

International Monetary Fund (IMF).However, Western and domestic coatings

companies are already planning for the economic recovery in the region because its

battered economies are expected to be among the first in Europe to come out of the

downturn. Coatings will be one of the first sectors to benefit from this revival.

A quick recuperation is predicted to take place in the ten Eastern European (EU 10)

states, which in recent years have joined the European Union (EU).

The London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a

public-sector body that invests funds into companies and development projects in

Eastern Europe, expects that growth in its 30 countries will be static this year against

a 4.8% increase in GDP in 2008. The World Bank has predicted that the economies of

six of the EU 10 countries—the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania,

Page 16: Paint Report

16 | P a g e

Slovakia and Slovenia—will grow by between zero and two percent this year. It is

also forecasting that although output in the whole of the Eastern European region may

suffer a small decline this year it will return to growth in 2010. Overall the area‘s

economic performance will be better than that of Western Europe‘s. Outside of the

EU Russia‘s government is conceding that its GDP will fall by more than two percent

this year while some analysts expect that that of neighbouring country Ukraine could

decline by more than five percent but during the downturn across Eastern Europe

some coatings segments, particularly for decorative paints, which comprise a major

proportion of the total market, are proving to be surprisingly resilient. Kingfisher plc,

a UK-based retail company with a chain of DIY stores in Eastern Europe, reported

strong sales growth in the region in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ending January

31, 2009. In the full year like-for-like sales, after excluding factors like new stores

and currency fluctuations, went up by 5.5% in Poland and 17% in Russia, where the

company now has seven large stores.

Major markets for industrial coatings in Eastern Europe include automotive, metal

and wood products. The region has experienced a big surge of investment in car

plants in recent years while countries like Poland and Russia are major exporters of

furniture and other wood items.

Optimism among economists and foreign coatings and other industrial companies

about the medium- and long-term futures of the Eastern European economies partly

stems from the rapidity with which they have rallied after previous financial

meltdowns. After Russia‘s financial markets collapsed in 1998 triggering a five

percent dive in GDP, the country recorded growth rates of 6.4% and ten percent in the

next two years. The recession is not deterring Western coatings and raw materials

suppliers from building a strong position in terms of production and logistical

capacity in Russia.

BASF Coatings has just started operating a 6,000 ton-a-year plant for basecoats and

clear coats at Pavlovskij Posad, near Moscow—the first OEM coatings facility of an

international paint manufacturer in the country. The company already has production

capacity for coil coatings in the country.

Page 17: Paint Report

17 | P a g e

Brazil‘s state oil and petrochemicals company Petróleos Brasileiro S.A. or Petrobras

has announced a massive $174 billion capital investment program over the next five

years, which will bode well for suppliers of industrial paints and coatings. Producing

more than two billion barrels of oil per day, Petrobras also currently operates 16

refineries, but plans are to both double oil production and refinery capacity over the

coming decade. Construction on five new refineries within Brazil is expected to begin

over the next five years. Such investment should help increase sales of industrial

coatings in Brazil, both for new and existing infrastructure. One recent U.S.-based

company to win a coatings contract from Petrobras is Northern Technologies Inter-

national Corp.‘s (NTIC) Brazilian joint venture, Zerust Prevencao de Corrosao S.A.,

which will provide anti-corrosive coatings for the internal roof surfaces of oil storage

tanks at Petrobras‘ Reduc refinery in Rio de Janeiro. Reduc has an estimated 330 oil

storage tanks thus far, however the complex is being expanded.

1.8 GROWTH PROSPECTS

The current global economic slowdown is having, and will continue to have, an

impact on the coatings industry. The recovery of the coatings market is inherently tied

to recovery in the end use segments, and thus overall economic activity, construction

and manufacturing. The short-term forecast may indeed be negative; however, the

medium- to long-term prospects for the industry are much more positive. While the

International Monetary Fund has downgraded its 2009 global GDP forecast to 0.5%

annual growth, it is projecting an annual growth of approximately three percent for

2010. This is consistent with an economic recovery occurring sometime between

midyear 2009 and early 2010. Beyond 2010 the forecast is for a return to historical

economic expansion levels.

This forecast is one of a number of potential scenarios and is based on the assumption

that the current recession, despite being very severe, is none-the-less ―typical.‖ That

is, a cyclical corrective response within the economy to such disruptive factors as over

capacity, excess inventories, inflation, deflation, disruptive technological

developments and regional growth among other factors. However, there are other

scenarios that suggest that as regional economies are undergoing fundamental

structural changes, the economic patterns of the past two to three decades were

Page 18: Paint Report

18 | P a g e

basically debt-driven and that growth is now unsustainable. This would mean that the

coatings industry will have to identify those fundamental changes that are occurring

and adjust regional, product and manufacturing strategies accordingly.

Following a difficult 2009, the construction sector is forecast to recover as this will be

the basis for most stimulus plans. Construction growth, however, is unlikely to return

to the high levels experienced during recent years, particularly in North America and

in Western Europe. Decorative coatings and wood finishes are forecast to grow as the

construction market rebounds. Industrial maintenance and protective coatings will

grow in response to infrastructure spending and the recovery in non-residential

construction spending. This will be particularly evident in the leading Western

economies. Industrial coatings will generally follow overall end use builds. Recovery

in the manufacturing sector is much more difficult to forecast. In general,

manufacturing growth is likely to be concentrated in the developing world.

1.9 LOOKING AHEAD

The global coatings market is a large and important part of the global economy and

has enjoyed significant growth over the past five years. At present, however, the

coatings market faces challenges as a result of the current economic conditions.

Decline in overall economic activity, construction spending and manufacturing output

have all had a negative impact on coatings demand. This downturn is likely to

continue to at least mid- to late-2009. Western economies, and thus coatings demand

in those regions, have been particularly hard hit as these economies have fallen into

full-blown recession. Once booming areas like China and India will still show

positive growth, but at a much lower rate than has been experienced of late.

Over the mid- to long-term, the forecast for the coatings industry is positive. The

coatings market will rebound as does the global economy. If the recovery occurs as is

currently predicted, the coatings market will approach $120 million by 2012. Growth,

however, will vary significantly from region to region and across the end-use

segments. In order to enjoy this predicted prosperity, companies must be able to

survive the short-term crisis by limiting exposure to the market downturn and by

positioning themselves to take advantage of the inevitable upturn.

Page 19: Paint Report

19 | P a g e

2.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The paint industry is one of the oldest industries in India; it is over hundred years old

.But despite that it has not reached a prominent position in the Indian industrial

scenario. In India Paints were considered a luxury item. Only people with high

incomes were expected to decorate their houses with the use of paints. Paints, as a

protective element, were totally unheard of. But rapid industrialization and

improvements in the infrastructure and Government‘s liberal policy gave impetus to

this sector till the recession gave it another hiccup.

2.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

- To analyze the evolution of the paint and coatings industry.

- To compare the financial ratios of the leading and the lagging companies in the

industry.

- To find the impact of the global slowdown on the industry.

2.3 METHODOLOGY OF STUDY

The whole study can be termed as a desk research. Hence there is no field work and

collection of primary data for this research except for secondary information obtained

by the medium of internet, journals and magazines. The top 5 and the bottom 3

performers of the industry have been chosen on the basis of their sales in the previous

years.

2.4 SOURCES OF DATA

Only secondary data was collected from the internet, company websites, magazines

and various articles. Capitaline databases have been the main source of information

for company analysis.

Page 20: Paint Report

20 | P a g e

3.1 HISTORY

The earliest paint factory in India dates back to 1902, when Shalimar Paints, Colour &

Varnish Company, A Pinchin Johnson unit, was established at Calcutta. Growing

Industrialization, expansion of the railways and introduction of electric power a

couple of years earlier had all kept business confidence soaring high. However, this

did not provide a ready and expanding market for the nascent paint industry then.

Imports from Britain continued to swarm the market and raw materials were not easy

to come by. The industry still consisting of one lone unit went through a rather

prolonged period of infancy, till the World War II brought in dramatic opportunities.

With the stoppage of imports owing to war conditions, the domestic market at last

became almost the exclusive reserve of the domestic industry. European

manufacturers, hitherto exporting to India, readily saw the advantages of setting up

manufacturing facilities here. The period between the wars thus saw the greatest ever

influx of foreign paint companies into India- Goodlass Wall (1918),Elephant Oil Mills

(1917) in Bombay, and British Paints, Jenson & Nicholson and Macfarlances in

Calcutta. Macfarlanes was brought over by the Poddars and became a completely

Indian company, while the other three: Shalimar Paints (Pinchin Johnson), British

Paints and Jenson Nicholson continued as British operated units.

While talking about the post independent development of the Paint industry in India,

mention must be made of Asian Paints, a completely Indian unit which started on a

very small scale, grew so big and so beyond recognition over the years that it is today

not only the largest unit in India but way ahead of the second largest, Kansai

(Goodlass) Nerolac Paints Ltd., formerly a unit of Goodlass Wall (UK).Besides Asian

Paints, numerous factories, wholly Indian in ownership and with rare exceptions in

technology as well were set up in Calcutta, Kanpur and Bombay. The British units,

though a few in number, were technically strong and financially sound and, with the

active support and patronage of the Government, controlled a vastly higher share

of the market. The post independence period witnessed a steady growth in the paint

industry. From a mere Rs.200 million turnover in 1950, the paint industry crossed the

Rs.14000 million marks in 1990-91.

But even in this period, paints were considered a luxury item. Only people with high

Page 21: Paint Report

21 | P a g e

incomes were expected to decorate their houses with the use of paints. Paints, as a

protective element, were totally unheard of. The industrial segment, which was

traditionally a low user of paints, vis-à-vis its counterparts in the decorative segment,

too contributed to this notion. In line with this misconceived notion, the government

drastically increased duties on paints in the early nineties with an aim to bolster

exchequer revenues. The result was obvious. This inevitably brought about a

downturn in the fortunes of the industry. The products, which are highly price elastic,

saw a negative growth rate of 20 % in 1991-92. The next year was also not good,

registering a growth of only 2%, bringing it back to the 1990-91 level, thus

corroborating the fact that the industry needed lower excise levels to grow. The

industrial slowdown during that period also did not help matters. In line with the

liberalized policies and the realization that paints are not necessarily a luxury item,

duties were progressively reduced from 1993-94.This squared growth as most

companies passed on duty reductions. Further, the entry of world majors in the

automobile and white goods market in India since 1993 helped the market to expand.

Demand for auto paints shot up suddenly. Form a modest 8% growth rate in 1993-94,

paint demand touched 12% in 1995-96.

Rapid industrialization and improvements in the infrastructure such as transport,

energy and communication during the last decade gave a further fillip to the growth of

the paint industry. Aided by Government‘s liberal policy of technology import, the

automotive and consumer durable segments expanded phenomenally, with a flurry of

foreign collaboration. Increased demand for decorative, protective and functional

coatings was a natural fall out, which brought, in its stride, a host of indigenous

developments as well as the injection of new technology.

3.2 OVERVIEW

The Indian paint industry has been growing at an average rate of 13% over the last

five years. However, the per capita paint consumption in India is only 1.2-1.4 litres.

The industry is less than half the size of the Chinese market by volume and about one

fifth of the U.S. market by volume. Even Sri Lanka and Pakistan have higher per

capita paint consumption.

Page 22: Paint Report

22 | P a g e

India‘s market is dominated by the decorative paint and coatings segment.

Architectural coatings largely used in households constitute almost three-fourths of

the market‘s value. The other large segments are automotive OEM paints, automotive

refinish paints, protective coatings and powder coatings.

There are many players in the Indian paint market. The top four companies—Asian

Paints, Berger, Kansai Nerolac and ICI (India)—constitute more than 5.5% of the

Indian domestic market. In addition to these, there are more than one thousand other

companies in both the organized and unorganized sectors. The unorganized sector

itself constitutes 25-30% of the market.

A number of foreign players have subsidiaries in India including: Jotun (powder,

marine and decorative); Akzo-Nobel (powder, protective and automotive refinish);

Nippon Paints (decorative); Choguku (marine); DuPont (automotive refinish); and

Becker (coil coatings). Others like Sherwin Williams are in the process of entering

India. As a result, all the leading international players in the decorative, automotive

OEM and automotive refinish paint markets will be operating in India.

India also imports a small volume of specialty wood finishes including polyester and

polyurethane water-based coatings, and special effect emulsions. The Indian paint

market has the potential to grow over the next decade at 15-20% per annum as the

current per capita consumption is much lower than other developing countries and

less than half of China.

Page 23: Paint Report

23 | P a g e

The low per capita paint consumption until recently can be linked to the large number

of kuccha (temporary), and semi-pucca homes (semi-temporary), low purchasing

power, the small size of homes, the long repainting cycle, and use of chuna (lime

powder) and French polish (paint substitutes).

3.3 INDIA – A UNIQUE MARKET

The Indian market is in many ways different from other markets. Some features

unique to the Indian markets include the following.

India has a large number of paint shops or outlets, more than 50,000. Unlike in most

of the developed world, there are a large number of small paint and hardware shops

that cater to the local population. There are no company owned outlets or large retail

formats for the DIYer. However this is beginning to change as some have been in

operation as of 2007.The distribution policy of Indian paint companies to directly

cater to most of these more than 25,000 shops is unlike other industries where

companies operate through distributors. Each company has a large number of depots

to service these outlets and a large sales force for this purpose.

A large number of shops have automated/manual dealer tinting systems. There are

more than 20,000 in operation, probably the highest for any country. In contrast, there

are only approximately 7,000 tinting systems in China for a market two and half times

India‘s size.

The high volumes of low cost distempers sold in India, which amounts to

approximately 200,000 tons per annum at an average cost of Rs35 per kg ($0.88) at

the present rate. This is significantly lower priced than anything sold elsewhere in the

world. The high percentage of solvent-based alkyd enamels sold in India. These have

been largely replaced by water-based systems across the developed world.

Lastly, the absence of the DIY market, which constitutes between 25-50% of the

decorative markets in the West, is not present in India. Indians depend on the skilled

painter largely on account of lower labour costs, greater necessary surface preparation

and an inherent laziness among the Indian consumer when it comes to painting. Hence

Page 24: Paint Report

24 | P a g e

the range of products sold and the manner in which they are sold and used are very

different in India.

3.4 INDUSTRY CHARACTERSTICS

Four Major Players control 50% of the market share

The demand for paints is relatively price elastic but is linked to the industrial and

economical growth

Pricing power – The four major players have successfully raised average prices

over the last 3 years without losing market share.

The industry majors have a vast dealership network and are required to maintain

high inventory levels.

Global Strategic tie-up take place in technology and R&D

Paint industry is characterized by low capacity utilisation as most of the companies

get the work done on job work basis. This is because of the longer processing time

required in the paint industry when paint is manufactured in smaller batches the

production falls. Most of the plants operate at 50% capacity with the exception of

Berger paints which manages a capacity utilisation of around 70%. The main reason

for this is that it has strong presence in the premium enamel and emulsion segment

and does not switch between decorative and industrial paint like the other

manufactures.

There is tremendous potential for the paints manufacturers in India because as against

an average per capita consumption of paints in India is very less. Economic

liberalisation is attracting international giants like BASF Germany, Curtlauds UK and

Jotun Norway. Jotun has announced plans to set up a powder coating plant, while

International Paints UK intends to set up marine paints plants. Since decorative paints

are a consumer product Sales are price elastic any change in the government policy on

the excise duty has a direct bearing on the sales. Over the last 4 years, the

government has reduced the excise duty from a peak of 40% to current 20%.

The entire benefit of the duty reduction has been passed to the consumer which has

not only enabled this segment to come out of the recession but also enabled the

Page 25: Paint Report

25 | P a g e

organised sector to increase its market share at the expanse of organised sector. The

share of organised sector has increased from 20% to 25% as a result of reduction in

excise duty.

Distribution channel plays an important role in the industry. Awareness and

perception of specific brand is more important than the corporate brand equity. Asian

Paints, the market leader has around 16,000 dealers in its network which are spread

across the country. Goodlass Nerolac comes second with around 9,000 dealers.

3.5 DEMAND DRIVERS FOR THE PAINT INDUSTRY

Increase In Per Capita Consumption Of Paints

The per capita consumption of paints in developed countries is around 15-25 kgs and

world average is around15 kgs. Comparing this with domestic consumption, India‘s

contribution to world paint markets is 0.6% with per capita consumption of around

800-900 gms. Based on the expenditure in the construction activity and increase in the

repaint activity coupled with industrial growth, the industry is expected to increase at

an 11.85% CAGR over next three years.

Increase In Real Estate Investments

The demand for decorative paints is directly related to the increase in the investment

in the real estate thus increasing the cement area. Out of the total demand for

decorative paints, around 30-40% of the demand comes from the fresh construction

(Source: CrisInfac). The size of real estate industry is estimated to grow to Rs. 18,517

Bn, over next five years period (Source: CrisInfac). Investment in real estate will be

primarily led by housing, which is expected to account for nearly 90% of total

investment in the sector (Source: Cris-Infac). India‘s robust economic growth and

resultant increase in income are speeding up the pace of urbanization. In India, about

three fourth (3/4) of real estate development is for residential use and balance one

fourth (1/4) is predominantly for commercial use.

Page 26: Paint Report

26 | P a g e

Housing investments (permanent, non-slum houses) are expected to grow at a TAGR

of 12% over the next 5 years period.

On other hand, repainting activity which accounts for 70% of the decorative paint

demand is also increasing, mainly due to increase in per capita income. The demand

from the repainting activity has increased by 6-7 percent in last two year. Based on

the expected investment in the housing, demand for paint is expected to increase at a

CAGR of 12 percent over the next 5 years (source: CRISINFAC).

Increase in Industrial Paints

The industrial paint segment is divided into automotive industrial paints and non-

automotive industrial paints. Increase in income levels of the consumers contributes

towards the growth in the auto-segment and growth in the industrial segments like

power, road and infrastructure leads to growth in the non-automotive segment. Along

with these, growing needs for consumer durables and export opportunity for auto

ancillaries will also contribute towards the growth of industrial paints.

Increase in Per Capita Income

The above mentioned increase in demand for paints is backed well by increase in per

capita income.

Due to increase in disposable income, Indian consumer is expected to shift from lime

wash to paints and those already consuming paints would move up the value chain.

Page 27: Paint Report

27 | P a g e

On other hand, the increasing capacity would also drive automotive and consumer

durable, thereby increasing the consumption of industrial paints.

Prices In Line With Substitute Product

Large scale operations and technical know-how have helped prices of paints to come

down. They are now in line with those of substitute products like lime wash,

distemper etc., manufactured by local players. This gives consumers the incentive to

shift from lime to paints.

Page 28: Paint Report

28 | P a g e

3.6 SUPPLY SIDE

The major players that control the organized sector are shown in the diagram shown

in the next page. The dynamics that control the supply side scenario are:

Distribution

In case of industrial paints, distribution network doesn‘t play an important role,

whereas the situation is totally different in case of the decorative paints. India being a

wide and scattered market having a large distribution network it becomes a prime

requirement for any company in decorative paints business.

Outsourcing

The organized players in the decorative paint segment have to compete directly with

those in the unorganized sector manufacturing low cost paints like distemper and

enamels. In-order to face this competition organize players outsource small part of

their production (25-30%).

Page 29: Paint Report

29 | P a g e

Import Scenario

Indian climatic conditions are not conducive for foreign formulations and

modification cost in product formulation is quite high. As a result, imports are no

threat to the Indian players. In case of industrial paints, most of the major players in

the industry already have a tie-up with global players, for latest technology and

markets accessible to them. It negates the further supply from the international

markets even after reduction of import duty from 40% to 15.3% in last 8 years.

3.7 COST STRUCTURE

The paint industry is raw material intensive industry. It takes around 300 different raw

materials to make paint, most of which are petroleum based. These raw materials can

be divided into three broad categories as shown in the chart below:

Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) is the largest consumed raw material for manufacture of

paints. It constitutes around 30% of the total manufacturing cost. TiO2 is available in

two grade i.e. rutile (imported and mainly used by the Indian paint industry) and

anatase (manufactured domestically).Besides TiO2, there are other petroleum based

raw materials which constitute around 40-50% of total raw material consumed. Hence

any movement in crude oil prices will impact the profitability of the company.

Page 30: Paint Report

30 | P a g e

3.8 MANUFACTURING PROCESS

3.9 RAW MATERIALS SECTOR

The coatings industry in general has about &0% of its total cost factor on account of

its raw material inputs. The Indian coatings industry is essentially dominated by the

multinationals, both with their manufacturing presence in India, as well as through

imports. About 30% of the raw materials consumed by the Indian coatings industry

are fulfilled by imports. The reliance of the industrial segment is considerably higher

with about 40% of the raw material inputs being imported while for the decorative

segment the figure is about 25%.

The paint industry is a raw material - intensive one with over 300 inputs going into

the manufacturing process. Half of these are petro based. The raw materials for paints

may be classified into 5 segments---pigments, solvents, binders, additives and white

cement/urea and account for roughly 50% of total cost. Hence the industry's profits

are sensitive to international price rises. When the international prices of

petrochemical products comes down, the paints companies benefit and vice versa.

With raw material prices and tariffs expected to come down in the next few years the

organised sector's operating profit and margins should go up substantially.

Page 31: Paint Report

31 | P a g e

Most companies are hit by the fact that they do not make the raw material themselves.

PAN which is manufactured from Ortyhoxylene and which goes into the production

of paints with titanium dioxide is only manufactured by Asian paints. The other paint

majors import their stock. Since PAN prices generally outpace international

orthoxylene prices by almost 50% paint Companies end up paying huge price or when

the price rise. For instance in Aug 1994 when the price of Ortyhoxylene shot up form

Rs 24/ Kg to Rs 35 per Kg, the Pan prices surged from Rs 38/Kg, to Rs77/Kg. Major

raw materials used in the paint production are:

Pigments account for nearly one third of the total cost of paint production.

Pigments are finely ground solids of different shades which are used to give colour,

consistency, durability and other properties to the paint. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a

vital pigment is available in two grades: anatase and rutile. Of which the former is

used in interiors while the latter is preferred for exteriors. The present demand for

anatase grade Tio2 is estimated to be around 12,000 Tonnes per annum and this is

expected to grow at 8% per annum while that of rutile grade is estimated to be around

50,000 TPA and this is expected to grow at 10% p.a. The paint industry presently

imports Tio2 in excess of Rs 1.30 billion and this figure may go close to Rs 2 billion

by the turns of the century.

Solvents: are volatile organic compounds (VOC) used to dissolve, suspend or

change the physical properties of other materials. They are generally used to bring

down the viscosity of paints to the desired level which also reduces the cost of paint

formulation. Solvents constitute 70% to 75% of the paint liquid and ultimately escape

into the atmosphere when the fluid dries. Solvents such as ethylene glycol and

alcohols are finding wider use as co-solvents in new water borne formulations.

Binders: are generally oils, resins and plasticisers that give painting its protective

property. Most resin manufacturers make alkyds, polyesters, emulsion polymers,

epoxy resins, amino resins etc.

Page 32: Paint Report

32 | P a g e

Additives: are added in small proportions to the paint to improve its performance

characteristics in various ways. Skinning inhibitors, fungicides, wetting agents, driers

etc are included in this category.

Carbon Black: The total installed capacity of carbon black in India of about 350

tpa marginally exceeds the demand of about 320 tpa. The major players in India are

Philips Carbon Black the market leader in India, and Indian Rayon and Cabot

Corporation. Degussa is the other significant player in this segment. The Indian

Carbon black industry is characterised by strategic alliances between global giants

and local Indian Players.

3.10 MARKET STRUCTURE

The size of the paints market in India is estimated at Rs 110 bn, with the contribution

of the organised and unorganised segments in the ratio of 65:35. Reduction of excise

duties over the last few years, from 40% to the present level of 14%, has helped create

a level playing field between the unorganised and the organised segments, as the

former is not subject to excise duty. As the unorganised sector loses its competitive

edge, it is also losing market share to the organised sector players.

In view of the low per capita annual consumption of paints in India (0.5 kg, compared

to 4 kg in South East Asian countries, 22 kg in developed countries and a global

average of 15 kg), the domestic paints industry has tremendous potential

Page 33: Paint Report

33 | P a g e

The Paint industry is working-capital intensive, rather than fixed-asset intensive. As

in consumer non-durables, distribution strengths and brand building are of paramount

importance.

3.11 PRODUCT CULTURE

Most companies have an identical range of products for the decorative-paint market.

In the industrial segment, the range of products is more customized and guided by the

technology support provided by the collaborators. In the case of decorative products

the technology has been mostly indigenously perfected over the years and the

products can be divided on the basis of interior and exterior application or in

categories like water-based and solvent-based. Moreover, most companies have been

advertising their products in the exterior emulsions category, which has expanded the

market and triggered a shift from cement paint. While solvent-based enamels are still

popular in India, outside India there is a clear shift visible from solvent- to water-

based glossy enamels. India will take some time before this change is accepted on

account of three hurdles currently faced including cost (water-based is expensive),

low level of gloss in water-based enamels and the psychological barrier that water-

based coatings cannot be superior to solvent-based coatings for protecting wood or

metal surfaces.

Composition of the Indian Paint Industry

55%

45%Organised

Unorganised

Page 34: Paint Report

34 | P a g e

3.12 MARKET SEGMENTS

On product lines, paints can be differentiated into decorative or architectural paints

and industrial paints. While the former caters to the housing sector, the automotive

segment is a major consumer of the latter.

3.13 DECORATIVE PAINTS

Decorative paints can further be classified into premium, medium and distemper

segments. Premium decorative paints are acrylic emulsions used mostly in the metros.

The medium range consists of enamels, popular in smaller cities and towns.

Distempers are economy products demanded in the suburban and rural markets.

Nearly 20 per cent of all decorative paints sold in India are distempers and it is here

that the unorganised sector has dominance.

Indian Paint Industry:Products

Decorative

70%

Industrial

30%

Decorative

Industrial

Page 35: Paint Report

35 | P a g e

FEATURES

Caters to the housing sector

Premium decorative paints are acrylic emulsions used most in the metros. The

medium range consists of enamels, popular in smaller cities and towns.

Distempers are economy products demanded in the suburban and rural markets.

Distribution Network is the key. A strong distribution network acts as an entry

barrier.

Nearly 20% of all decorative paints sold are distempers

Brand equity, a wide range of shades, distribution strength and efficient working

capital management are key success factors in the decorative paints segment

Within the decorative segment, enamel is the largest sub-segment, accounting for

over 50%, followed by wall finishes, primers and wood finishes.

The season for decorative paints is from October to March, a period characterized

by festivals like Diwali, and the summer, when painting is normally carried out.

Composition of Paints in the Decorative

Sector

50%

19%

17%

12% 2%

ENAMELS DISTEMPER

EMULSIONS EXTERIOR COATING

WOOD FINISH

Page 36: Paint Report

36 | P a g e

MARKET TRENDS

Over the last few years, there have been a significant number of new trends in the

decorative coatings market.

Premium products have seen significant growth and it has been much higher than

economy products. The sale of premium and luxury emulsions, high-end exterior

finishes and wood finishes like polyesters and polyurethanes reflect a change in usage

patterns of Indian customers who are willing to spend more on superior products. This

phenomenon is seen across markets, in larger cities as well as smaller towns. There is

a continuous demand from consumers for newer and better products. Although a

major part of the market continues to be highly price-sensitive.

There has been a higher growth of emulsion paints for interiors vis-à-vis distempers.

There is an increasing use of economy emulsion in place of lower priced distempers.

Continuously looking for better products, more and more consumers are switching to

marginally higher-priced emulsions where they get more durable and better-looking

finishes in a wider range of colours.

India‘s market has also seen a higher growth of exterior emulsions. Over the last ten

years, exterior emulsions have gradually replaced cement paints largely on account of

longer life, better looks and ease of usage. This trend is expected to continue with

economy exterior emulsions replacing cement paints. The higher-grade cement paints

have been largely replaced by emulsions and it is but a matter of time before cement

paints on the exteriors cease to be an easily accepted option. Increased advertising by

all leading paint companies has educated consumers and made them aware of better

exterior products.

The higher growth of dark shades vis-à-vis whites and pastels is a sign of changing

décor styles and a willingness to experiment fuelled by examples shown by

Bollywood—India‘s Film Industry—and television serials. This is coupled with easy

availability of dark/accent shades, which has in turn increased the usage of dark

shades in homes and commercial establishments across India.

Page 37: Paint Report

37 | P a g e

The increased involvement of the consumer in home décor has fuelled the growth of

bright and dark shades as one-wall themes or borders. Consumers today are not just

open to change but look for change and search for options or themes which differ

from past experiences.

Painting and décor services are on the rise also. In 1999, Asian Paints in India

launched a paint service called Home Solutions based on consumer research, which

gave homeowners across many Indian cities the option of having their homes painted

by Asian Paints. Although out-sourced, the company supervised and took full

responsibility for the service delivered. The company promised to deliver quality

service in a fixed time frame and the painting was given a one-year warranty. Today a

few other paint companies have launched similar services.

Theme walls have also become a popular element of the Indian decorative coatings

market. Led by Kid‘s World and Wall Fashions from Asian Paints and Disney from

Kansai Nerolac, more consumers are looking at painting as a décor item in itself and

are willing to spend a little more to get something extra.

Special effects continue to gain in popularity too. Today many paint companies are

offering effect finishes. Products from Jotun, Oikos, ICI‘s Duette and Inspira,

Kansai‘s Impressions, Berger‘s Illusions and Asian Paints‘ Royale Play provide the

consumer many more options than simply painting his wall with a simple colour.

Today there are a wide range of options from metallic to stucco, ragging and combing

which provide consumers newer finishes and effects for their homes.

The Indian paint market is poised to grow at a steady rate over the next decade fuelled

largely by a growing economy and changing consumer attitudes. Paint marketers have

to continually meet the needs of the changing Indian consumer and regularly provide

him with newer products and services to meet his requirements.

Page 38: Paint Report

38 | P a g e

TECHNOLOGICAL TRENDS

While water based systems for decorative segment are rapidly growing in market

share, particularly in the construction segment in the urban areas, the alkyd enamels

find large use in the rural areas. The last few years have seen the rapid emergence of

the water borne technology in the Indian Architectural Coatings industry. This has

been fuelled by increasing demands for consumer friendly coating and also the ever

improving quality of construction, calling for the better quality of coating systems as

well. However the mandating of migration to water borne systems has not yet been

experienced due to lack of any solvent emission directives or VOC regulations akin to

those in the developed countries. The share of water borne coatings for the

architectural segment is projected to grow at a much faster rate and is expected to

constitute about 60% of the decorative coatings in India within the next three years.

MARKET SHARE

Asian paint is the market leader in the decorative segment with a market share of

37%.

The leader in the high volume medium and mass segments of decorative paints, Asian

Paints has been consolidating its market leadership over the last six years and now has

Market Share

37%

16%14%

11%

6%4%

12%Asian Paints

Nerolac Paints

Berger Paints

ICI Paints

Jenson and Nicholson

Shalimar Paints

Others

Page 39: Paint Report

39 | P a g e

the biggest slice of 37 per cent of the market for decorative paints in the organized

sector as shown on the previous page. Trailing behind are Goodlass Nerolac and

Berger Paints with market shares of 13 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. Other

major players from the organized sector include Jenson & Nicholson with a low 6

percent and ICI with 8 per cent. With the exception of Asian Paints, the market shares

of most of the major players have been stagnating over the last few years. This was

primarily due to extensive focus on urban markets and neglecting the high-potential

semi urban and rural markets.

3.14 INDUSTRIAL SEGMENT

In terms of volume, though the industrial paints segment has made significant gains, it

still trails behind decorative paints. As against the Decorative segment, the share of

the unorganized sector in industrial paints is limited to roughly 35 per cent. This is

because technology is the overriding factor in this segment and industrial paints

require constant up gradation and servicing. In contrast to the decorative paint

business, tapping the industrial paint segment is not by brand-building or establishing

a distribution network but through getting the right foreign partner (for technology)

and captive customers. While decorative paint manufacturers need to offer variety and

have a wide reach to stay ahead of competition, industrial paint producers need to be

competitive in terms of technology and service.

Industrial paints comprise automotive paints, high performance coating, marine

paints, powder coatings and coil coatings. Goodlass Nerolac is the market leader in

this segment. The user industries are automobiles, engineering and consumer

durables. The industrial coating segment in India has grown by 15% over the year and

companies like Asian Paints have registered a growth of 48% for the same period.

Automotive paints constitute a large share of industrial paints market which requires

high quality standards, supplier reliability and ability to offer complete coating

systems they are used for giving high quality finish to automobiles. High performance

coatings are applied in plants for fertilizers, petrochemicals and offshore oil and

Page 40: Paint Report

40 | P a g e

atomic energy installations where anticorrosion is very important.

Powder coatings (water-based) are free of solvent and are used in consumer goods

like washing machines, refrigerators etc. Marine paints are used for painting ships and

vessels to make them water resistant and corrosion free.

Half of the Industrial paints produced in the country are Automotive paints and close

to one third is the high Performance Coating. Automotive sector is a high growth

sector with a number of new entrants like Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Daewoo,

Hyundai, Honda, and Fiat. However, recently there is some slackness in Auto

demand. Two-wheeler markets are booming due to demand from large India middle

class. In the Powder Coatings sector, there is high growth due to increase in sales of

white goods and auto ancillaries. Similarly, in the High Performance Coating sector,

there is a steady growth due to higher investments in Refinery Segment and power

sector, especially Thermal and Nuclear It is a high growth sector with a number of

new entrants like Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Daewoo, Hyundai, Honda, Fiat,

General Motors, and Ford. However, recently there is some slackness in Auto

demands. Two wheeler markets were booming due to demand from large Indian

Industrial Paints :Revenue distribution

4% 4% 5%8%

37%2%

31%

8% 1%

Marine coil

refinishes powder coatings

protective/high performance OEM -railway

OEM-general industrial OEM-automotive

Other

Page 41: Paint Report

41 | P a g e

middle class. Goodlass and Asian Paints are the leading OEM players and ICI leading

player in the replacement market.

MARKET SHARE

GNPL dominates the industrial paints segment with 43 per cent market share. It has a

lion's share of 70 per cent in the OEM passenger car segment, 40 per cent share of

two wheeler OEM market and 20 per cent of commercial vehicle OEM market. It

supplies 70 per cent of the paint requirement of Maruti, India's largest passenger car

manufacturer, besides supplying to other customers like Telco, Toyota, Hindustan

Motors, Hero Honda, TVS-Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Ford

India, PAL Peugeot and Bajaj Auto. GNPL also controls 20 per cent of the consumer

durables segment with clients like Whirlpool and Godrej GE. The company is also

venturing into new areas like painting of plastic, coil coatings and cans. APIL, the

leader in decorative paints, ranks a poor second after Goodlass Nerolac in the

industrial segment with a 15 per cent market share. But with its joint venture Asian-

PPG Industries, the company is aggressively targeting the automobile sector. It has

now emerged as a 100 per cent OEM supplier to Daewoo, Hyundai, Ford and General

Motors and is all set to ride on the automobile boom. Berger and ICI are the other

players in the sector with 10 per cent and 9 per cent shares respectively. Shalimar too,

has an 8 per cent share.

Industrial Segment:Market Share

43%

14%14%

8%

8%8% 5%

GoodlassNerolac

paints

Asian Paints

Berger

ICI

Jenson n Nicholson

Shalimar

Others

Page 42: Paint Report

42 | P a g e

3.15 SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths:

Besides a large basket of indigenous raw materials, India has strong manufacturing

base and strong marketing /distribution network to reach out to the geographically

distributed industry. It also has human resources to support this industry. Also its

strong engineering base for machinery and packaging material are playing an

important role in its development. It also has entry barriers for new entrants as

consumers give a lot of importance to brand image.

Weaknesses:

The level of technical knowledge is an extremely poor and there is poor global

distribution of experts. Except few top leaders almost all of the paint companies are

using old techniques to produce paint. The taxation n systems are also retrograde

compared to global standards. Infrastructure in India is a main constraint.

Opportunities:

There is huge potential in the industrial segment because as compared to other nations

in India 30% segment is for industrial paints where as in other nations it is almost

50%. This presents a huge opportunity the paint industry to develop this segment and

also the growth in industrial sector will help in boost demand as well. Besides this the

fiscal incentives provided by the government also present an opportunity to be

capitalized. It can also capitalize as a commodity in the ever growing FMCG sector.

Threats:

Lack of infrastructure development is a main constraint. Also Dependence on

petroleum based products with lack of development in water based systems is a huge

threat to Indian paint industry. Volatility of crude oil prices and skewed import

policies are making things more difficult for this industry.

Page 43: Paint Report

43 | P a g e

3.16 PORTERS FIVE FORCES

Bargaining Power of Customer:

The bargaining power of customers is low, as there are only few major players in

the organized sector. The selection of paint is mostly done by architects and

contractors who decide on behalf of the customer, this means that a lot depend

upon the amount of commission given by the supplier to these contactors.

However, the bargaining power is of the consumers is high during repainting

which makes up 60-70 percent of the market, as the decision is in the hands of the

consumer. But in this case the choice of texture shades etc precedes over price and

most players offer wide variety of shades and textures. In the rural segment the

customer is more price sensitive and goes in for cheaper options .Even there the

bargaining power is low as paint companies offer a large no of distempers which

are economical

Page 44: Paint Report

44 | P a g e

In case of the industrial customer the bargaining power is significant, owing to

their large demand especially by the automotive sector.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

High power with Suppliers:

The two major raw materials used in paint industry include titanium dioxide and

Pthalic Anhydride. Titanium Dioxide is an important raw material and its short

supply will spell doom for the industry. This gives more power to the supplier

while negotiating the prices. Also its rutile form has to be imported this also adds

to the raw material cost.

Some of the materials are based on crude oil. The volatility in its prices affects the

paint industry adversely.

Threat of new entrants

Local Players:

There are a large number of players in the unorganized sector, and this is

indicative of the low capital required to enter the market and acts as an incentive

for new players to enter. Further, the reduction in excise duty from 40% to 16%

for import of raw material has reduced the price advantage which the small units

in unorganized sector had making them unviable. This has helped the organized

paint Industry, as it has lead to a lot of consolidation in the form of mergers and

acquisitions can be seen. E.g. Kamdhenu the construction steel maker has entered

the decorative paint segment with their brand Color dreamz. There is also very

little interference by the government.

The technology constraints besides developing and maintaining a strong

distribution network are some of the primary problems faced by the paint industry.

Other than these factors which are critical to the success of the business it also has

to face the challenge of high working capital requirements.

Page 45: Paint Report

45 | P a g e

Foreign players:

Per capita consumption of paint in India is low at 0.5 kgs compared to global average

of 15 kgs and average of 22 kgs in East Asia. Moreover, the scope of growth in

industrial paint segment is high given the division of industrial versus decorative

paints is 30:70 in India compare to the global segmentation of 50:50. This is attracting

many foreign players also there is minimal government intervention in this industry.

E.g. Sherwill Williams, Nippon, Du-Pont etc.

Threat of Substitutes:

Lime wash (chunna): The high price elasticity in the paint industry leads to high

risk of customer shifting to cheaper products like Lime wash, which is

conventionally used in the rural markets.

Wallpaper: Although the use of wallpaper is not very extensive in India it can be

a growing threat to the decorative segment especially the luxury market.

Page 46: Paint Report

46 | P a g e

Competitive Rivalry

The organized sector has 4-5 major players who hold a major share of the market.

Since this sector is makes up 55 percent of the total industry the competition is not

very fierce as there is room for everyone. Though it is likely to get more intense with

the entry of foreign and local players due to low govt interference .This is also likely

lead to an increase in mergers and acquisitions and more consolidation.

Product differentiation is an important parameter for success in this industry. One

major point of differentiation is the shade and at present players like Asian paints has

more than 50,000 shades, and same is the case with Nerolac and other players. Thus

by providing the customers in the decorative market with more choice, they are able

to penetrate into the market. To be competitive, players are offering services which

make the painting work easier for the customers. E.g. Asian Paints gives a sample of

200ml for customers to try the paint, if they like it they can go for mass purchase in

case they like it. The paint retail shops are computerized and they can show the

customer the mixing of shades, they can plan the entire painting activity. Beside these

some players also offer painting services like the Asian Paints Home Solutions – a

professional painting service.

Page 47: Paint Report

47 | P a g e

4.1 ASIAN PAINTS

'The Asian Oil & Paint Company' was started in the year 1945 and now the Asian

Paints is 10th largest decorative paint company in the world. By the way of producing

Decorative Paints and Industrial Coatings, the company pioneered in the segment

from inception of its business. Asian Paints operates in five regions across the world

viz. South Asia, South East Asia, South Pacific, Middle East and Caribbean Region

through the four corporate brands viz. Asian Paints, Berger International, SCIB Paints

and Apco Coatings. Also presents in 22 countries with 27 manufacturing locations,

over 2500 SKU's, Integrated SAP, ERP & i2 and SCM solution.

Asian Paints mascot, Gattu, the mischievous kid was born in the year 1954. The name

was changed to Asian Paints (India) Private Limited in the year 1965. The Company

was converted into a public limited company in the year 1973. A major modernization

programme was undertaken to streamline the paint production facilities by improving

the layout of machines, addition to balancing equipment and replacement of old

machinery during the year 1974 to meet the demand. During the year 1985, The

Company had set up a third paint unit at Patancheru, a notified backward area near

Hyderabad, for the manufacture of 15,000 MT of paints and enamels and also in the

same year entered into a collaboration agreement with Nippon Paints Company

Limited, Japan, to obtain technical know-how to manufacture powder coating and coil

coatings. Asian Paints commissioned a plant for the manufacture of synthetic rubbers

lattices with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes per annum in the year of 1987. In the identical

year of 1987, the company jointly with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development

Corporation (TIDCO) promoted a joint sector company under the name of Pentasia

Chemicals Ltd. (PCL).

In the year 1990, the company had promoted Asian Paints (South Pacific) Ltd., in Fiji

and Asian Paints (Tonga) Ltd are two joint venture sets up in abroad with the

Company supplying the necessary know-how. Both these are the Company's

subsidiaries. Apart from this, also the company had formulated two more joint

ventures in the same year of 1990 under the names and styles of Asian Paints (Nepal)

Pvt. Ltd and Asian Paints (S.I.) Ltd. The Company acquired 19,10,000 equity shares

Page 48: Paint Report

48 | P a g e

of Rs 10 each in the share capital of Pentasia Chemicals Ltd from TIDCO in May of

the year 1991. As an upshot, PCL became a subsidiary of the company.

Manufacturing facilities for the powder coatings with a capacity of 300 MT were

installed and commissioned at Kasna plant during 1992-93 and in the year 1993, the

company had set up a joint venture unit along with its overseas subsidiaries, in

Queens land, Australia for manufacture of paints, enamels and varnishes. Pentasia

Chemicals Ltd was merged with the company. The assets and liabilities of the

erstwhile PCL are vested with the company with effect from 1.10.1994. Asian Paints

had sets up a joint venture unit during the year 1995 for the manufacture of paints,

enamels and varnishes in the Republic of Mauritius. The joint venture involved a total

cost of 1, 83, 00,000 Mauritius Rupees. Out of this 49% financed by the company and

the remaining balance from Mauritian parties.

A joint venture company namely Asian PPG Industries Pvt. Ltd was set up during the

year 1996 along with PPG Industries, Inc. of USA to market and/or manufacture

automotive paints and certain Industrial products. The Company had introduced three

new products, NC range of wood finishes, ACE Exterior Emulsion and Asian wall

putty in the year 1998 and also in the same year launched a new marketing thrust with

the introduction of a one-stop Colour shop for paints complete with a software for

consumers to choose and select their different shade combinations. The company

opened its first exclusive showroom in Mumbai. In its first-ever acquisition overseas,

the company had acquired a 76 % of equity stake in Sri Lanka-based Delmege

Forsyth & Co (Paints) Ltd during the year 1999. APL had launched two variants in

polyurethane (PU) wood finish under the brand name Opal in the year 2000 and in the

same year opened a manufacturing plant in Oman in partnership with a local

company. Also the company had acquired the entire paints business of Pacific Paints

Company based in Australia in the year 2000 for over of Rs 1 crore. For the festive

season in the year 2001, the company had introduced Utsav Enamel.

In 2002, APL revamped its international operations and transferred shares in its

subsidiaries in Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Island, Vanuata, Australia and the Sultanate of

Oman to the Mauritius based subsidiary Asian Paints International. During the same

year 2002, the company had acquired controlling stake of 50.1 per cent in Berger

Page 49: Paint Report

49 | P a g e

International, Singapore, for the consideration of Rs 58 crore. In 2003, Asian Paints,

via its Singapore-based subsidiary - Berger International - inks a technology and

brand licensing agreement with PT Abadi Coatings Solusi, an Indonesian paint

company and also in the year, acquired Taubmans Paints (Fiji) Ltd through its

subsidiary in Fiji, Asian Paints (South Pacific) Ltd (APSP). Asian Paints amongst the

leading Indian companies in Corporate Governance ranked by The Asset, one of

Asia's leading financial magazines in the year 2002. During 2003-04, Pentasia

Investments Ltd (wholly owned subsidiary of the company) was merged with the

company. In 2004, the company had launched paint solutions for kids. In January of

the year 2005, Asian Paints new paint plant at Sriperumbudur, in Tamil Nadu was

commenced its production. Berger International made a partnership with Filipino firm

Dutch Boy during the year 2005. During the year 2006, the company had

commissioned a manufacturing facility for powder coatings at Baddi, Himachal

Pradesh. The Company was ranked 24th amongst the top paint companies in the

world by Coatings World - Top Companies Report 2006. In September of the year

2007, Asian paints tailored its first exclusive industrial coatings manufacturing

facility at Taloja in Maharashtra; it covers 12 acres of land and has an installed

capacity of 14,000 KL per annum in the first phase. The Company performed

'Bhoomi Pooja' (ground breaking ceremony) at the site of its proposed state-of-the-art

paint plant with initial production capacity of 1.5 lakh KL at the Industrial Model

Township (IMT), Rohtak of Haryana in June 22nd of the year 2008.

Page 50: Paint Report

50 | P a g e

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS:

YEAR 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Key Ratios

Debt-

Equity

Ratio 0.13 0.16 0.15 0.14 0.17 0.24 0.41 0.52 0.59 0.73

Current

Ratio 1.15 1.22 1.14 1.08 1.07 1.14 1.26 1.34 1.36 1.32

Turnover Ratios

Fixed

Assets

Ratio 4.68 4.38 3.87 3.46 3.21 3.07 2.91 3.01 3.05 3.16

Inventory

Ratio 8.39 8.63 8.23 8.71 9.82 10.39 9.36 7.92 7.73 6.9

Debtors

Ratio 16.74 16.06 16.77 16.47 16.09 15.95 13.8 14.64 16.1 14.04

Interest

Cover

Ratio 42.84 35.57 42.32 42.22 27.57 18.94 13.44 8.05 8.05 5.52

SOURCE: CAPITALINE DATABASE

Page 51: Paint Report

51 | P a g e

KEY RATIOS:

Debt- Equity Ratio

This is a measure of financial leverage and also measure of capital gearing. From the

above table we can easily make out that from 1999 to 2008 the company gradually

decreased the debt-equity ratio. It shows the company does not want to depend on

external debt and the company is very cautious regarding financial risk.

Current Ratio

The current ratio is a measure of the firm‘s short term solvency .If we can see from

the table, there are lots of fluctuations regarding current ratio. The ratio continued to

decrease from year 2000 to 2004 where again we can see the increase till 2007. For

2008, the current ratio is 1.15. Here the current ratio is greater than one, which means

that current assets are greater than current liabilities. This is healthy to the company,

but still the company has to manage these fluctuations and increase the liquidity of

cash.

Inventory Turnover

This ratio shows the efficiency in inventory management. This shows the number of

times a company‘s inventory is turned into sales. For the industry as a whole this ratio

Page 52: Paint Report

52 | P a g e

is 7.5 and for this company it is 8.39. From this we can clearly see that it is very close

to the industry standards. In the last ten years it is relatively constant so we can say

that the company‘s inventory management is satisfactory.

Debtors Turn Over

This ratio shows the number of times each year the debtors turn into cash. Generally

the higher the Debtor Turnover Ratio, the more efficient is the management of credit.

Asian paints debtors turnover ratio is approximately 15.5 in an average. In 2008 the

debtor‘s turnover ratio of Asian paints was 16.74. The debtors turnover ratio of Asian

paints is high when compared to industry standards (10.01). It shows the company‘s

efficiency in management of debts.

Interest Cover Ratio

The interest coverage ratio shows the number of times the interest charges are covered

by funds that are ordinarily available for their payment. A higher ratio is desirable but

it also shows that company is very conservative in using debt. If we see the debt

equity ratio it shows that company is decreasing debt portion in their capital. This is

the reason why the company‘s interest cover ratio is increasing steeply. In 2008 it

stood at 42.84 .The Company has managed to improve its interest coverage ratio

considerably over a period of 8 years. This also shows that the company is

conservative in using debt

ROCE

ROCE is the measure of the firm‘s operating performance it indicates the firms

earning power. From the above mentioned data we can easily come to a conclusion

that the company has shown a tremendous improvement over the last eight years. In

1999 the returns on capital employed was 25.28 and at present it is 60.92.

Page 53: Paint Report

53 | P a g e

RONW

RONW is return on net worth it is also called ROE that is return on equity. It is used

to calculate to see the profitability of owner‘s investment. From the above data of

Asian paints we can see that the RONW is showing an increasing trend. It shows the

growth of the company (in terms of profits). In 2008 the RONW of the company

stood at 44.86 well above the industry average of 21.16.

Page 54: Paint Report

54 | P a g e

4.2 KANSAI NEROLAC

Goodlass Nerolac Paints Ltd. (GNPL), the Indian subsidiary of Japan based Kansai

Paint Co. Ltd, is the second largest paint company in India with presence in

decorative paints as well as industrial paints & marine paints, enamels, varnishes,

coatings, resins etc. It is the second largest coating company in India. The company

markets its products under the brand names Nerolac, Glossolite, Goody, Allscapes,

Excel, in decorative. The Company was established in 1920 as Gahagan Paints and

Varnish Co. Ltd. at Lower Parel in Bombay. In 1930, three British companies merged

to formulate Lead Industries Group Ltd. In 1933, Lead Industries Group Ltd. acquired

entire share capital of Gahagan Paints in 1933 and thus, Goodlass Wall (India) Ltd.

was born.

Subsequently, by 1946, Goodlass Wall (India) Ltd. was known as Goodlass Wall Pvt.

Ltd. In 1957, Goodlass Wall Pvt. Ltd. grew popular as Goodlass Nerolac Paints (Pvt.)

Ltd. Also, it went public in the same year and established itself as Goodlass Nerolac

Paints Ltd. It came into the fold of Tata Forbes Group in 1976, as its foreign holdings

were acquired by Forbes Gokak. It turned into Joint Venture Company in 1986 as the

foreign collaborator Japan based Kansai Paints picking 36% of equity capital of the

company. With the acquisition of entire stake of Forbes Gokak and its associates by

Kansai Paints it became the subsidiary of the latter in 1999. The stake of Kansai

Paints in the company now stood at 64.52% of the total equity of the company. The

company has five manufacturing facilities at Kanpur, Ratnagiri, Ahmadabad,

Perungudi, and Rewari spread across India. The Company serves its customers

through 66 Sales locations and five strategically located factories.

Technical Assistance Agreements of the company with renowned players in paint

industry at international level puts the company in a strong position to offer products

which meets stringent international specifications. It started in 1993 when the

company tied-up with Kansai Paints of Japan (for manufacture of sophisticated

architectural Coatings) and Nihon Tokushu Torya Co. Ltd also of Japan (for body seal

and under seal coatings). And the latest being the technical assistance agreement with

DuPont Performance Coatings GmbH & Co. KG, Germany for know-how of

manufacture of Anodic Electro-deposition Coatings System during the year 2000-01.

Page 55: Paint Report

55 | P a g e

The company's other Technical Assistance agreements include E.I. DuPont De

Nemours & Co. Inc. of USA for automotive coatings; Oshima Kogyo Company Ltd.,

of Japan for heat resistant paints; Valspar Corporation of US for powder coatings;

Drew Chemicals Corporation of US for water and fuel treatment chemicals and

Ameron Inc. USA for high performance coatings.

The company has strong presence in automotive paints as it controls 45% of the

organised Industrial paint segment. Its major clients include OEMs like Maruti

Udyog, Bajaj Auto, TELCO and Mahindra & Mahindra. It was a pioneer in

introducing electro-deposition (ED) technology for Maruti, capturing a sizeable share

of the automotive paint market. The company has two wholly owned subsidiaries

namely Saurashtra Paints and GNP (Madras). The above subsidiary companies were

amalgamated with the company from April, 2002 with consent approval from both the

state‘s High courts.

It has the software package, computerised colour dispensing machine from Fluid

Management Holland, Gyro shaker of 10-Litre capacity touch screen monitor, 136

column palette-share display units and a Kirloskar Champion UPS 1 KVA. The

system has an ability to supply over 1305 shades accurately, consistently and instantly

in several products covering a variety of application viz. doors, windows, walls,

exteriors, gates, grills etc. During 2001-02, the company has entered into a technical

agreement with EFTEC Shroff (India) Ltd. for the manufacture and supply of

Automotive Paint Shop Sealers and under body Compounds.

The Company is in the process of setting up a new manufacturing unit at Bawal,

Haryana at an estimated cost of Rs.100 crores with an annual capacity of 20000 MT

p.a. The above project is being financed through internal accruals. During 2004-05 the

company has setup a new Greenfield plant, with a capacity of 20400 MT, at Bawal,

district Rewari of Haryana and this was commissioned on 19th March 2005.

During 2003-04, the capacity at the Jainpur was increased by 24% for water based

paints, by setting a new facility. Consequent to the approval of the High Court of

Madras and Bombay the amalgamation of Chemguard Coatings Ltd with the company

was completed on 1st September 2005.

Page 56: Paint Report

56 | P a g e

During 2005-2006, the company made an investment in a Malaysian Company, a joint

venture company between the company and Kansai Paint Co Ltd., Japan (Kansai),

where the company will hold 55% stake and 45% Stake by Kansai. Further the

Malaysian company has entered into an agreement to acquire the paint business of

Sime Coatings Sdn.Bhd., Malaysian and this is subject to approval. During the same

period the companies Production capacity of Paints Varnishes and enamels has

increased from 138400 MT to 153900 MT. The capacity of Synthetic Resins stood at

36250 MT and Capacity of Pre-treatment Chemicals stood at 2400 MT.

Page 57: Paint Report

57 | P a g e

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS

Mar

08

Mar

07

Mar

06

Mar

05

Mar

04

Mar

03

Mar

02

Mar

01

Mar

00

Key Ratios

Debt-

Equity

Ratio

0.19 0.24 0.27 0.27 0.29 0.32 0.38 0.37 0.37

Current

Ratio

2.03 1.92 1.49 1.39 1.55 1.70 1.87 1.94 1.93

Turnover Ratios

Fixed

Assets

3.57 3.81 3.78 4.02 4.14 4.04 4.20 4.90 5.49

Inventory 9.12 8.27 8.37 9.58 8.89 8.46 7.38 7.04 7.46

Debtors 7.92 8.76 9.86 9.82 7.91 6.96 7.04 7.50 8.07

Interest

Cover

Ratio

121.84 168.67 186.44 179.26 68.24 34.59 10.99 6.19 6.23

SOURCE: CAPITALINE DATABASE

Page 58: Paint Report

58 | P a g e

Debt Equity Ratio

We can see that the ratio has been gradually decreasing over the years indicating the

decreasing share of outside creditors contribution in the firm‘s financing and

increasing share of owners‘ (shareholders‘) contribution. A high proportion of equity

provides a larger margin of safety. From the shareholders point of view, a low

financial leverage is a disadvantage.

Current Ratio

In case of Nerolac, the ratio was decreasing from 2000 to 2005, indicating decreasing

ability of firm to meet their short-term financial obligations towards creditors.

However, the ratio started increasing from 2006 to 2008, indicating increase in current

assets, thereby increasing the firm‘s ability to meet short-term liabilities/obligations.

Inventory Turn Over

The above table shows an increasing trend in the inventory turnover ratio. It is also a

sign of efficient inventory management. In 2008, it was 9.12, which is more than the

industry standards and also other companies like Asian paints.

Debtors Turn Over

In case of Nerolac, the ratio is slightly higher than the industry standards (10.01) but

in 2005 and 2006 the ratio was 9.82 and 9.86 respectively which was satisfactory. But

again in 2007 and 2008 the ratio was 8.76 and 7.92 respectively. Overall, it can be

said that there is not a very huge gap between the company‘s ratios as against the

industry standards.

Interest Cover Ratio

This is a measure of protection available to creditors for payment of interest charges

by the company. We can see that the firm was relying heavily on debt from 2000 to

Page 59: Paint Report

59 | P a g e

2002. Then, from 2003 to 2006, the ratio kept increasing, indicating a satisfactory

cover provided for the interest payments, which in turn, indicated a higher margin of

safety.

ROCE

Initially in 1999 it had a low ROCE of 19.69 and it steadily improved and came up to

31.40 in 2006(31.40) It further increased in 2004(28.39) and 2005(37.01) . In 2007

and 2008, it came down but, it has never fallen below the industry average.

RONW

Return on net worth shows the profitability of the owner‘s investment. In

2005(31.26), the profitability was high but it decreased in 2006, 2007 and

2008(21.70).

Page 60: Paint Report

60 | P a g e

4.3 BERGER PAINTS

Berger Paints India Ltd is the third largest paint manufacturer and the second largest

decorative paint player in India. They are offering their customers a variety of

innovative painting solutions, decorative or industrial. The company is headquartered

in Calcutta and service the market through a distribution network comprising of 75

stock points and above 12,000 paint retailers. They are having their manufacturing

facilities in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Pondicherry, Goa, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The Company has Technical License Agreements with DuPont Performance Coatings

in the area of automotive coatings, Nippon Paint Co Ltd for new generation of

automotive coatings, Orica Australia Pty Ltd In the area of protective coatings,

TIGERWERK Lack-u.Farbenfabrik GmbH & C. KG, Austria for specialized powder

coatings and Nippon Bee Chemical Co Ltd for coating on plastic auto parts and

mobile phones.

The company was incorporated on December 17, 1923 as Hadfield's (India) Ltd in

Kolkata. In December 12, 1947, British Paints Holdings acquired the company and

the name was changed into British Paints India Ltd. In the year 1965, British Paints

(Holdings) Limited, UK was acquired by Celanese Corporation, USA. As a result, the

controlling interest of the Company passed on to CELEURO NV, Holland. In the year

1969, Celanese Corporation sold their interest in the Indian company to Berger,

Jenson Nicholson Limited, UK. In December 1983, the company name was changed

to Berger Paints India Ltd.

From 1983 till date, the company has solely used and developed the name and

trademark of Berger and all their other variants in India. The company launched

Colour Bank tinting system through which the consumer can select form a range of

over 5000 colours and which are then made available in minutes. In the year 1997, a

new paint manufacturing unit at Pondicherry was commissioned. In the year 1999,

Rajdoot Paints Ltd was merged with the company.

In the year 2000, the company acquired 100% share in Jenson & Nicholson Nepal

Pvt. Ltd which was wholly owned subsidiary of Jenson & Nicholson India Ltd and

renamed Berger Jenson & Nicholson, Nepal. During the year 2001-02, the Motors &

Page 61: Paint Report

61 | P a g e

Industrial paints business of ICI India was acquired through their subsidiary, Berger

Auto & Industrial Coatings Limited. During the year 2003-04, a new unit in Jammu

started commercial production. Also, the company entered into a joint venture with

Principal Financial Group USA, Punjab National Bank and Vijay Bank for Pension

Fund and Insurance Business.

Berger Auto & Industrial Coatings Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary company

amalgamated with the company with effect from April 1, 2004 and operates as

BAICL Division of the company. The company invested in Berger Cyprus, a

company incorporated in Cyprus on February 3, 2005 for the purpose of setting up a

paint manufacturing facility in Russia. During the year 2005-06, the company started

the commercial production at their new 2400 MTPA powder coating plant in Jammu.

In April 2007, the Jammu Resin plant of the Company with a capacity of 9,000

MTPA has commenced their production. The Company has entered into a Joint

Venture Agreement with Nippon Bee Chemical Co Ltd, Japan for the purpose of

formation of a company for manufacture and sale of coatings for plastic substrates

used in automobiles and parts thereof in India. Berger Paints Overseas Ltd in Russia

has commenced commercial production in September 2007 at their modern plant in

the Republic of Adygeya, with alkyd based and water based paints.

The company expanded the capacity in the Goa solvent based paint to 18000 KL per

annum. The company is in the process of setting up an automobile paint

manufacturing plant with a combined capacity of 24000 MTPA at Jejuri Industrial

Estate in Pune. The Company has started preliminary work for expansion of water

based paint and resin manufacturing capacity in their existing plant at Rishra in West

Bengal and installation of a resin manufacturing plant in Goa.

Page 62: Paint Report

62 | P a g e

Page 63: Paint Report

63 | P a g e

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS

Mar

08

Mar

07

Mar

06

Mar

05

Mar

04

Mar

03

Mar

02

Mar

01

Mar

00

Key Ratios

Debt-

Equity

Ratio

0.38 0.31 0.25 0.26 0.22 0.36 0.57 0.61 0.62

Current

Ratio

1.40 1.33 1.34 1.59 1.85 1.69 1.56 1.60 1.67

Turnover Ratios

Fixed

Assets

5.88 5.65 5.42 5.63 5.52 5.32 5.26 5.81 6.22

Inventory 5.84 5.85 6.09 6.80 7.14 6.61 5.96 5.41 4.99

Debtors 10.08 10.45 11.50 12.31 11.74 11.34 10.25 9.72 9.00

Interest

Cover

Ratio

10.29 11.10 14.95 17.53 20.62 8.83 5.04 4.69 4.20

SOURCE: CAPITALINE DATABASE

Page 64: Paint Report

64 | P a g e

RATIO ANALYSIS

Source: Capitaline Database

Debt Equity Ratio

The above table shows that the company is highly dependent on debt, which indicates

a high level of interest obligations. The company‘s debt-equity ratio has been stable

over the past 6 years.

Current Ratio

The current ratio represents the margin of safety. As per the ‗rule of thumb‘, a current

ratio of 2:1 is considered satisfactory. This ratio was constantly on the rise from 2000

to 2005, being the highest in 2004. This indicates that the current assets are sufficient

to meet the obligations of the company. But, the ratio slightly started coming down

from 2006 to 2008, indicating a decline in the current assets of the company.

Inventory Turnover

Berger‘s inventory turnover ratio in 2008 is 5.84, which is lesser than the industry

turnover ratio (7.5). In 2004 and 2005 this ratio was near 7 Therefore, the company

has to adopt a more efficient inventory management policy.

Page 65: Paint Report

65 | P a g e

Debtors Turn Over

Berger with 10.08 is slightly higher than the industry standards (10.01) and is lower

than that of Asian paints (16.74). This again shows the company‘s efficiency.

Interest Cover Ratio

From the table, we can see that the ratio had hit an all time low during the period from

2000 to 2003, indicating the firm‘s excessive usage of debt indicating huge payments

of interest to the lenders. The ratio increased from 8.83 in 2003 to 20.62 in 2004

indicating an increase in the debts of the company. But the ratio has again come down

to 10.29 in 2008.

ROCE

Change in consumers‘ behaviour from time to time and a drastic change in the

economic conditions was one of the important reason for the increase in Berger‘s

ROCE. Since the last 5 years it has shown a great improvement and it is moved ahead

of industry average. In 2008 it had an ROCE 30.65.

Page 66: Paint Report

66 | P a g e

RONW

Return on net worth is reasonable and quiet stable and good in case of Berger. It is

always maintained a good average compared to industry average. But now in 2007 it

decreased a little that is by 4%.

.

Page 67: Paint Report

67 | P a g e

4.4 ICI INDIA

ICI India Ltd manufactures and markets paints and speciality chemicals. Their

manufacturing activities in India commenced in 1939 with the setting up of Alkali and

Chemical Corporation of India Ltd in Rishra, West Bengal. In the year 1954, as the

result of an agreement with the Government of India, the set up Indian Explosives Ltd

in Gomia. Chemical and Fibres of India Ltd came up in Thane in 1963, manufacturing

polyester staple fibre.

The company began their fertilizer manufacturing operations in Panki near Kanpur in

the year 1969. This was the largest private sector investment in fertilizers in India.

The company established ICI Research and Technology Centre in Thane in the year

1976 and a Crop Protection Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals unit came up in Ennore,

near Chennai in 1978.

In the year 1984, the ICI group companies in India were merged into one corporate

which is India's largest mergers of that time. In the year 1987, Nalco Chemicals India

Ltd was formed with Nalco Chemical Company USA and ICI India Ltd, each holding

40% of the equity.

In the year 1993, the company divested their seeds, fibbers and fertilizers businesses

and in the year 1995, agrochemicals business was transferred to a joint venture

company with Zeneca Ltd of UK. In the year 1996, the company established a joint

venture with The Ensign-Bickford Company of USA namely, Initiating Explosives

Systems India Ltd for the manufacture of Initiating Explosives Systems.

In the year 1997, the company commissioned paint plant and polyurethanes systems

house in Thane. They also commissioned the Uniqema Innovation Centre at Thane. In

the year 1998, the company exited form their joint ventures with Nalco Chemical

Company, USA and Zeneca, UK, as part of their continuing restructuring exercise. In

March 1998, the company commissioned the new state-of-art 20 million litres per

annum automotive refinish and decorative paint manufacturing facility at Mohali near

Chandigarh.

Page 68: Paint Report

68 | P a g e

During the year 1998-99, one of the company's division, Pharmaceuticals divested

some Animal Health brands to focus more strongly on their core areas of

Cardiovascular and Anaesthetics. In September 1999, the explosives business was

transferred to Indian Explosives Ltd, a joint venture between the company and Orica

Investments Pty Ltd, Australia.

During the year 2000-01, the Polyurethane business was sold to the Huntsman Group

of USA in line with their strategic objective. The company in association with Quest

International and Hindustan Lever Ltd formed a joint venture to make and sell

fragrances, flavours and food ingredients. In May 2001, the company transferred the

Motors and Industrial Paints business to a Joint Venture with Berger Paints India Ltd,

from which they exited in the year 2002.

In the year 2002, the Pharmaceuticals business of the company was divested to

Nicholas Piramal India Ltd and catalyst business divested to Johnson Matthey Group.

The company divested their 51% shareholding in Indian Explosives Ltd and thus

Indian Explosives Ltd and Initiating Explosives System India Ltd ceased to be the

company's subsidiaries with effect from November 6, 2003.

During the year 2003-04, the company launched Duette, a premium interior emulsion

paint with a two-tone finish in select market. In March 2004, the Nitrocellulose and

Trading businesses were divested to Nitrex Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd in which the

company holds a minority stake.

During the year 2004-05, the company launched two premium products namely Water

Shield Max and Tile Shield in the paint segment. Also, they commissioned a new

polymer plant during the year. In December 2005, the Rubber Chemicals business

was transferred to a subsidiary of PMC Group International, USA. The company

acquired the remaining shares in their subsidiary Quest International India Ltd in two

lots from the other shareholders, making it a wholly owned subsidiary company since

October 2006. In November 2006, they sold their 100% equity shareholding in Quest

International Ltd to Givaudan (India) Pvt. Ltd. In December 2006, the company

acquired controlling interest in Polyinks Ltd, Hyderabad, which manufactures Hot

Melt Adhesives. In March 2007, the Advanced Refinish Paints Business (2K) was

Page 69: Paint Report

69 | P a g e

divested to an affiliate of PPG Industries, USA. Also, Uniqema business was divested

to Croda Group of UK during the financial year.

During the year 2007-08, the company launched low cost Acrylic Distemper, Primer

and Putty in the pain segment. They entered into a contract with Henkel CAC Pvt.

Ltd, an affiliate of the Henkel Group, to divest their Adhesives business. AkzoNobel

NV, Netherlands has become the owner of the entire equity capital of Imperial

Chemical Industries, UK with effect from January 2, 2008, through a scheme of

arrangement. Consequently, the company became an AkzoNobel company.

Page 70: Paint Report

70 | P a g e

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS

Key Ratios 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Debt-Equity

Ratio 0 0 0.01 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.08 0.12 0.32 0.56

Long Term

Debt-Equity

Ratio 0 0 0 0 0 0.03 0.08 0.11 0.23 0.32

Current Ratio 0.81 0.84 0.9 0.8 0.75 0.83 1.2 1.45 1.34 1.24

Turnover Ratios

Inventory

Ratio 9.04 8.62 8.55 7.55 7.63 7.49 7.47 8.13 2.5 2.39

Debtors Ratio 8.62 7.91 9.13 8.32 9.1 8.69 7.93 7.58 7.82 7.23

Interest Cover

Ratio 31.65

46.25

23.15

18.96

11.93

12.08

8.41

6.41

3.82

3.11

Source: Capitaline Database

Page 71: Paint Report

71 | P a g e

RATIO ANALYSIS

Debt Equity Ratios

In 2000 the company‘s debt-equity ratio was 1.91 and from the above table we can

see that the company decreased its debt-equity ratio. It is very good sign for the

creditors. We can say that this company is a risk averse. It is a good sign in recession

time.

Current Ratio:

Current ratio is crude and quick measure of the firm‘s liquidity. As per the table

company‘s current ratio has been less than 1 it shows the liquidity problem in the

company. The company should increase its current ratio or else it will face working

capital constraints. So the company should concentrate to maintain its current ratio in

the range of 1 to 2.

Inventory Turnover:

This shows the number of times a company‘s inventory is turned into sales. If we see

the table, there exists a constant increase in this Inventory Turnover Ratio. The

increased inventory turnover is a sign of increase of efficiency in inventory

Page 72: Paint Report

72 | P a g e

management. The company has been successful in reducing the time taken in

converting its inventory into sales, which is a good sign.

Debtors Turn Over

We can infer from the data that the average debtors turnover ratio is approximately

8.5%. It‘s maintaining a decent rate of debtor‘s turnover ratio. The ratio has

improved a lot compared to what it was 1999 .In 2008 the ratio stands at 8.62 which is

not very near to the industry standard that is 10.01.

Interest Cover Ratio

This ratio measures the debt-servicing capacity of the firm so far as fixed interest on

long-term loans is concerned. In 1999 it was 3.11 and it has gone up to 31.65 in a time

span of 9 years.

ROCE

Return on capital employed is a very important ratio to be analyzed. ICI never showed

a steady improvement it always kept on fluctuating in last ten years as you can see in

the above table. There debt-equity ratio is very less which in turn affects the ROCE

(profitability). The degree of financial leverage is less.

Page 73: Paint Report

73 | P a g e

RONW

It signifies the return on shareholder equity .In 2008 it stood at 7.39 and it is no

where in tune with the industry average which is 21.16.

Page 74: Paint Report

74 | P a g e

4.5 SHALIMAR PAINTS

Shalimar Paints Ltd., a company primarily incorporated by British entrepreneurs

under the name Shalimar Paint Colour & Varnish Company in 1902 to take over the

business of 'The Shalimar Works', a company which manufactures paints, colour and

varnish from its factory at Shalimar and Goabaria in Bengal. It is having plants in

Howrah (West Bengal), Nasik (Maharashtra) and Sikandrabad, Dist.Bulandsahar

(Uttar Pradesh).

Courtalds Coatings, UK was the holding company and it holds majority shareholding

through its subsidiary International Paint Company, UK. It became a private limited

company in 1956 and later on in 1961; it was converted into a public limited

company. The company acquired its present name in 1963.

Courtalds slowly started disinvesting since 1978 and finally in 1989, it fully

disinvested its stake and maintained only its technical and marketing collaboration

with the Indian company till 1994. The Courtald's stake was acquired by G

Jhunjhunwala; a Hong Kong based NRI (20%) and the Delhi-based O P Jindal group

(42%).

The company has three product segments - industrial, marine and architectural paint

segments. It also manufactures varnishes, resins, etc. The company has two

manufacturing units one at Howrah, West Bengal and the other at Nasik, Maharashtra.

90% of its raw materials are obtained from Kerala Mining and Materials (KMML).

The company diversified in 1993 into aviation coatings. It also launched a premium

range of wall finisher - Hussain Collections - in the decorative sector. It also entered

into a technical collaboration with Salchi, Italy to manufacture solvent borne

industrial paints. A joint venture company, Grace Shalimar (P) Ltd, has been formed

with W R Grace & Co, to produce 2000 tpa of packaging coatings for which a new

plant will be set up at Nasik.

In 1999-2000, the company introduced two new products, MELA, an acrylic

distemper and XTRA, a premium 100% acrylic exterior finish paint. In 2000-01, the

company has entered into a tie-up with Creanova, a world leader in colorants and in

Page 75: Paint Report

75 | P a g e

2001-02 the company launched colour tinting system business under the brand name

of Colour Space. Several new products including Roadcoat, Shaktiman were

introduced during 2001-02.

Page 76: Paint Report

76 | P a g e

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS

YEAR 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Key Ratios

Debt-Equity

Ratio 1.98 2.12 1.96 1.7 1.58 1.74 1.9 1.97 1.91 1.92

Current Ratio 1.14 1.18 1.18 1.17 1.23 1.36 1.51 1.7 1.81 1.71

Turnover Ratios

Fixed Assets

Ratio 6.54 6.27 5.83 5.66 5.21 5.36 5.46 6.05 6.65 6.6

Inventory Ratio 5.63 5.38 4.91 4.82 4.95 4.89 4.65 4.89 4.8 4.73

Debtors Ratio 4.79 5.1 5.42 5.81 5.34 5.24 5.12 5.35 5.6 5.43

Interest Cover

Ratio 3.3 2.52 2.71 2.72 3.01 1.63 1.61 1.21 1.4 1.3

SOURCE: CAPITALINE DATABASE

Page 77: Paint Report

77 | P a g e

RATIO ANALYSIS

Debt Equity Ratio

This Company is more dependent on external debt for their investment. In 2007 its

debt-equity ratio was 2.12 and they managed to reduce it to 1.98 in 2008. It is risky

because if the company‘s financial leverage is high even a slight sales decrease in

sales will affect profitability drastically.

Current Ratio

The current ratio is a measure of the firm‘s short term solvency. If you see from the

table, from 1999 to 2008 it has gradually decreased. In the year 2008 it is only 1.14

which means that current assets are marginally greater than current liability but it is

not ideal. So company needs to increase its current ratio to avoid a crunch in working

capital.

Inventory Turn Over

Shalimar‘s inventory turnover ratio in 2008 is 5.63 which is considerably lesser than

the industry average of 7.5.It should gradually try and increase its inventory

conversion period.

Page 78: Paint Report

78 | P a g e

Debtors Turn Over

We can clearly infer from the table given above that the debtors turnover ratio of

Shalimar paints is very low (4.79) compared to industry standards (10.01).But the

company‘s debtor‘s turnover ratio over the last ten years has been relatively constant.

The company should try and increase its turnover ratio for its betterment.

Interest Cover Ratio

The interest cover ratio of Shalimar paints is very low compared to Asian paints and

the industry average. This is a measure of protection available to creditors for

payment of interest charges by the company. This ratio is calculated to measure the

whether the company has sufficient funds to cover its interest. The current Interest

cover ratio is 3.3 which is very less when compared with industry averages. There has

been an improvement in the interest cover ratio when compared to 2008 .The interest

coverage ratio should be improved in order to improve the credit worthiness of the

company.

ROCE

Return on capital employed. It is the measure of firm‘s operating performance. The

ROCE of Shalimar was 12.67 in 1999 but it decreased to 6.35 in 2003.This was

mainly because there were some disputes relating to duty and increased competition

in the market .In 2008 it has increased to 22.85.

Page 79: Paint Report

79 | P a g e

RONW

It is return on shareholder‘s equity. In 1999 the RONW of the company was only 8.19

and in a span of 9 years it has gone up to an impressive 31.41.

Page 80: Paint Report

80 | P a g e

CORRELATION AND REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Year Sales

(Dependant

Variable)

Raw material

(Independent

Variable)

Selling O.H.

(Independent

Variable)

Mfg O.H.

(Independent

Variable)

latest 9606.76 4294.75 1632.31 862.92

2008 8950.49 3944.16 1544.72 821.15

2007 8122.64 3767.71 1335.94 745.98

2006 7094.46 3180.49 1084.46 733.8

2005 5916.19 2642.7 941.21 613.53

2004 5175.41 2214.6 868.36 515.14

2003 4872.74 2076.31 805.12 472.93

2002 4742.99 2029.39 773.27 398.41

2001 4633.81 2109.39 710.41 383.43

2000 4400.14 2065.95 639.5 375.83

1999 3713.91 1724.83 530.18 327.73

Source- capitaline.com

Page 81: Paint Report

81 | P a g e

REGRESSION

Variables Entered/Removed (b)

Model Variables Entered Variables Removed Method

1 Mfg overhead, Selling

overhead, Raw material . Enter

a) All requested variables entered.

b) Dependent Variable = Sales

Model Summary

Model R R Square

Adjusted R

Square

Std. Error of the

Estimate

1 1.000(a) .999 .999 62.10577

a) Predictors: (Constant), Mfg overhead, Selling overhead, Raw material

In the table given above the adjusted r square is .999.It indicates that the relationship

is significant.

Page 82: Paint Report

82 | P a g e

ANOVA (b)

Model

Sum of

Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

1 Regression 40443115.

458 3 13481038.486 3495.099 .000(a)

Residual 26999.887 7 3857.127

Total 40470115.

344 10

a) Predictors: (Constant), Mfg overhead, Selling overhead, Raw material

b) Dependent Variable: sales

Coefficients (a)

Mode

l

Un standardized

Coefficients

Standardized

Coefficients t Sig.

B

Std.

Error Beta

1 (Constant) 304.5

75 69.451 4.385 .003

raw

material 1.098 .129 .495 8.494 .000

selling

overhead 2.168 .303 .397 7.162 .000

Mfg

overhead 1.171 .420 .114 2.787 .027

a) Dependent Variable: sales

REGRESSION EQUATION

Sales = 304.575 + 1.098(R.M) + 2.168(Selling O.H.)+ 1.171(Mfg O.H.)

Page 83: Paint Report

83 | P a g e

INFERENCES

Here sales are considered as the dependent variable .The independent variables are

raw materials prices, selling and manufacturing overhead. From regression analysis

we can infer that even in the absence of raw material costs, selling overheads and

manufacturing overheads the sales will be Rs 304.575.There is a positive relationship

between sales (dependent variable) and raw material costs, manufacturing overheads

and selling overheads (independent variables) because the constant is positive.

Page 84: Paint Report

84 | P a g e

The Indian paint industry is witnessing buoyant demand growth on the back of rising

disposable incomes, booming real estate market and impressive growth in

construction activity. The paints sector is raw material intensive, with over 300 raw

materials (30% petro-based derivatives) involved in the manufacturing process. The

raw material costs amount to around 60% of the net sales.

On the margin front, the sector has benefited out of the appreciation in domestic

currency against the greenback, causing a substantial reduction in cost of imported

inputs. This in turn induced some of the players in the industry to reduce the prices of

select products to pass on the benefit to the customers.

The budget 2008-2009 has provided the following provisions, which will have an

impact on the industry:

General Excise Duty cut from 14% to 12%

The Abatement rate has been reduced from 40% to 35%

Excise duty on small cars reduced from 16% to 12%

Excise duty on hybrid motor vehicles is being reduced from 24% to 14%.

Excise duty on three-wheelers (for transport of not more than 7 persons, including

the driver) is being reduced from 16% to 12%.

Excise duty on Motorcycles (including mopeds and scooters) is being reduced

from 16% to 12%.

The exemption limit on personal income tax has been increased in the case of all

assesses, from Rs.110000 to Rs.150000, thus giving every assessee a relief at a

minimum of Rs.4000. In the case of women, the same has been increased from Rs

145000-Rs 180000.

Following an agreement between the Central Government and the State

Governments, the rate of Central Sales Tax was reduced from 4 per cent to 3 per

cent in this financial year. It is now proposed to reduce the rate to 2 per cent from

April 1, 2008. Consultations are underway on the compensation for losses, if any,

and once agreement is reached the new rate will be notified

Housing for the poor is one of the six elements of Bharat Nirman and is

implemented through the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY). Against a target of 60 lakh

houses, 41.13 lakh houses have been constructed up to December 2007 and the

cumulative number will be 51.77 lakh houses by end March 2008. Reflecting the

Page 85: Paint Report

85 | P a g e

higher cost of construction, the subsidy per unit in respect of new houses

sanctioned after April 1, 2008 will be increased from Rs.25,000 to Rs.35,000 in

plain areas and from Rs.27,500 to Rs.38,500 in hill/difficult areas. The subsidy for

up gradation of houses will be increased from Rs.12,500 per unit to Rs.15,000. A

beneficiary will still need own funds to complete the house. Public sector banks

will be advised to include IAY houses under the differential rate of interest (DRI)

scheme and lend up to Rs.20, 000 per unit at an interest rate of 4 per cent.

DUTY STRUCTURE

Source: Coatings World

KEY POSITIVES

Steady Growth

The Indian paint industry has very low consumption levels as compared to the

other developing economies. While the decorative segment is growing at 1% per

annum, the industrial paint segment (led by powder and protective coatings) is

also expected to record strong growth rates going forward.

A Mixed Bag

A robust housing sector is likely to boost demand in the decorative segment.

Long-term growth potential of the auto sector is also a big positive.

Page 86: Paint Report

86 | P a g e

Structural Shift

Continuous fall in excise duty in the past has benefited organized players and the

impending consolidation will add to the pricing power.

Capex Cycle Booster

With investment cycle showing signs of momentum, industrial paint demand

could grow at a much higher rate than the last five years.

KEY NEGATIVES

Raw Material Worries

Since the paint sector is highly raw material intensive, rise in crude and

petrochemical prices affects performance and the reliance is unlikely to reduce

going forward.

Monsoon Blues

The performance of the decorative division also hinges on rainfall. In the last six

years, the country has witnessed three years of poor rainfall, which has impacted

paint demand.

BUDGET IMPACT

Some gains accrue to the Paint sector, through cut in excise duty from 16% to 14%

(but the benefit restricted due to cut in abatement rates from 40% to 35%) and

reduction in CST. Also, the sector would benefit from invigorating the auto sector

through excise duty cuts (industrial paint segment), cut in personal income tax and

waiver of agriculture debt (decorative paint segment).

The Excise Duty on two wheelers and passenger three wheelers, and buses together

will boost demand in the industrial segment/ The provisions made in favour of

housing and construction will drive growth in the decorative segment and in return

Page 87: Paint Report

87 | P a g e

benefit the Paint industry. Moreover, overall consumption is set to improve with

change in Tax limits at the individuals' levels. On the flipside, corporate taxes remain

unchanged. The industry was expecting removal of surcharge on Corporate Tax.

OUTLOOK

The Indian Paint Industry is witnessing strong growth, thanks to healthy off take, both

in the decorative and industrial segment. Nevertheless, the sluggish trend in

automotive segment and deceleration in the industrial production together has resulted

in relatively lower growth in industrial segment and better growth in decorative

segment. Hence, the decision to cut excise duties in 2&4 wheeler segment in the

current budget is a welcome move and is likely to trigger increased growth in the

automotive segment. Moreover, Tata‘s Nano can bring in enormous demand growth

in the automotive segment, while huge investments planned in SEZs and surging

demand in capital goods segment can power industrial segment. Also, the decorative

segment demand is powered by rising housing construction, industrial construction

and huge investments in malls powered by increased popularity of organized retail.

The Government‘s move to provide increased thrust in the construction, housing and

infrastructure segments will further boost demand in the decorative segment, auguring

well for the paint industry. On the margin front, the sharp appreciation of rupee

coupled with sluggish price trends in inputs holds good for the industry. On the

whole, the Union Budget 2008-09 is a positive one for the paint industry.

BUDGET OVER THE YEARS

Union Budget 2004-2005

A sum of Rs 400 bn will be pooled in by a consortium of financial institutions to

provide finance for various infrastructural activities like power, ports, roads and

civil aviation.

Continuation in interest exemption on housing loans. Besides, income from

housing projects for the construction of residential units of prescribed

Page 88: Paint Report

88 | P a g e

specification and approved from local authorities is exempt from income tax. This

exemption is available for project that is approved upto March 31, 2005.

Allocation of Rs 22 bn to provide a subsidy upto Rs 10,000 and loan upto Rs

40,000 for the eligible households.

Dwelling units financed so far and National Housing Bank has offered to reduce

the rate of refinance by 25 basis points this year.

Union Budget 2005-2006

Construction of residential complexes having more than twelve residential houses

or apartments together with common areas and other appurtenances.

Exemption on tax deductible housing loan to continue.

Under the rural development programme, 6 m additional houses to be constructed

for the poor. Peak customs duty reduced from 20% to 15%

The new income tax brackets, the change in exemption and deductions available

to individuals and the increase in exemption for women.

IT to generate around 7 m jobs till 2009

Union Budget 2006-2007

Peak rate of customs duty reduced from 15% to 12.5%. Basic inorganic chemicals

reduced from 15% to 10%.

Excise duty is being reduced from 24% to 16% on small motor vehicles. Duty to

be reduced on major bulk plastics like PVC, LDPE and PP from 10% to 5%; on

naphtha for plastics to nil; on styrene, EDC and VCM which are raw materials for

plastics to 2%.

Emphasis on the Bharat Nirman project and its timely completion

Page 89: Paint Report

89 | P a g e

Union Budget 2007-2008

Hike in allocation for rural and urban housing infrastructure development.

Reduction in custom duty on chemicals from 12.5% to 7.5%

Dividend distribution tax to be hiked from 12.5% to 15%.

Additional education cess of 1% to fund secondary and higher education.

Page 90: Paint Report

90 | P a g e

6.1 INTRODUCTION

The Rs. 6,000 crore paints industry has been hit by the slowdown in the economy and

with the major user industries - housing, automobiles and white goods - having a dip

in performance; things have not been moving smooth.

The second quarter performance of the leading players reflects the situation. Asian

Paints India has posted a marginal drop in net profit at Rs. 29.62 crores in the quarter

ended September 30, 2001 against Rs. 30.46 crores in the corresponding period last

year on a net sales of Rs. 338.33 crores (Rs. 348.09 crores). Goodlass Nerolac Paints

(GNPL) recorded a net profit of Rs. 11.48 crores for the quarter ended September

2001 against Rs. 10.98 crores in the corresponding period of the previous year. Net

sales were up marginally at Rs. 158.89 crores (Rs. 155.74 crores). Berger Paints, the

other player in the industry, also reported virtually flat growth rates for the second

quarter ended September 2001 achieving a net profit of Rs. 7.45 crores (Rs. 7.52

crores) on a sales of Rs. 140.90 crores (Rs. 133.51 crores). Players have at best

maintained profitability levels on stagnant sales. The organized paint sector

constitutes about 65 per cent of the market and is expected to grow at 3-4 per cent in

the current full year. The per capita consumption of paint in India today is as low as

200 gm against 5 kg in the developed countries which illustrates the inherent potential

for the sector.

Paint makers have suffered 3-10% fall in sales (volume-wise) during the third quarter

of FY09 as against the same period of the previous year. However, most paint

companies have decided to put their expansion plans on hold till the situation looks

up. The focus is now on better inventory management, review working capital

requirements and production volumes.

Now let us examine the various companies in the Indian Paint industry and assess

how they have been affected by the economic slowdown.

Page 91: Paint Report

91 | P a g e

6.2 ASIAN PAINTS

From the graph given below it can be inferred that there was steady growth of sales

till the Q3 of the financial year 2008-09.But in Q3 there was a dip in sales (it went

down 1006.40) as a result of the onset of recession combined with volatility in the

general price level. The operating profit also fell in the third quarter. This was a result

of a steep increase in the prices of raw materials used in the paint industry including

crude oil .Due to recession there was a slump in demand for automobiles, which is a

major consumer of paints, leading to a slump in the gross profit in the third quarter.

The onset of recession is always felt in the real estate market and even in India the

real estate prices have also been falling steadily and currently there has been an

oversupply position in the market .This has lead to the decorative segment being

affected and Asian paints being a leader in this segment has suffered a major setback.

Parameters Dec ' 08 Sep ' 08 Jun ' 08 Mar ' 08

Sales 1,006.40 1,168.34 995.24 868.51

Operating Profit 79.52 179.80 143.68 132.45

Interest 2.56 3.00 2.26 1.28

Gross profit 94.32 194.47 157.37 142.37

EPS (Rs) 5.21 12.59 10.27 9.18

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Sales Operating profit

Interest Gross profit EPS (Rs)

Asian Paints: Overall Review

Mar ' 08

Jun ' 08

Sep ' 08

Dec ' 08

Page 92: Paint Report

92 | P a g e

From the graph given above it can be clearly inferred that the Earnings Per Share has

come down considerably after Q3.This is because the profits in Q3 have not been

attractive .This is a bad sign and investors might reduce their investment in paint

industry shares.

Reasons for the Poor Performance in Q3

The main reasons for the poor performance of Asian Paints in the 3rd

quarter are:

Slowdown /onset of recession in India leading to consequences like

postponement of re-painting activity (75% of sales) at the bottom end of the

market and lull in the construction industry.

The de-stocking of trade inventory which was build in the system due to

successive price increases exceeding 15% in past few months

Sharp material cost pressures (gross margins decline of 520bp) during the

quarter. Titanium Dioxide (30% of raw material) has been up 25% YoY, and15%

up QoQ. In addition decline in crude prices had not started getting reflected in

lower prices of solvents and chemicals. Packaging costs had also increased

sharply due to spike in HDPE prices.

Page 93: Paint Report

93 | P a g e

6.3 SHALIMAR PAINTS

Parameters Dec ' 08 Sep ' 08 Jun ' 08 Mar ' 08

Sales 88.56 102.12 81.14 102.51

Operating profit 3.01 5.74 4.07 7.88

Interest 2.46 1.71 1.58 2.16

Gross profit 0.87 4.3 3.11 6.86

EPS (Rs) 0.11 6.15 3.96 11.42

The sales of Shalimar Paints have also dipped in the third quarter to 88.56. The

increase in sale in the March quarter can be attributed to the increase in prices of

paints. The operating profit also shows a pattern to that of sales. A dip in the last

quarter is observed due to the economic slump.

Page 94: Paint Report

94 | P a g e

The graph given in the previous page clearly shows that earning per share has clearly

dipped by the end of the 3 rd quarter. It came down to Rs 0.11 by the end of

December 2008.

Shalimar paints have also been affected by the slowdown and the increasing cost of

raw materials made things worse. Prices of titanium dioxide account for an

estimated16% of total raw material costs. While crude oil is not a direct input for

manufacturing titanium dioxide, most manufacturing facilities in the international

markets are crude based plants. As a result, a rise in crude prices results in a

commensurate rise in raw material costs. Since raw material costs account for almost

50% of sales, it could have significant impact margins and profitability.

Page 95: Paint Report

95 | P a g e

6.4 BERGER PAINTS

Parameters Mar ' 08 Jun ' 08 Sep ' 08 Dec ' 08

Sales 336.32 378.16 423.78 359.76

Operating profit 35.73 31.71 40.61 28.3

Interest 3.99 2.18 3.25 5.06

Gross profit 35.09 36.48 39.72 25.49

EPS (Rs) 0.75 0.73 0.91 0.47

Berger India reported a 35.65% dip in net profit to Rs 14.96 during the third quarter

to December 31, 2008 against Rs 23.25 crore in the earlier corresponding period.Net

sales during the period saw a marginal increase of 1.09% to 358.25 crore.

Berger India reported a 35.65% dip in net profit to Rs 14.96 during the third quarter

to December 31, 2008 against Rs 23.25 crore in the earlier corresponding period.Net

sales during the period saw a marginal increase of 1.09% to 358.25 crore.

Page 96: Paint Report

96 | P a g e

Sales for the first nine months of FY09 were up 15.17% to Rs 1157.6 crore from Rs

1005.1 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Net profit depicted a

marginal fall to Rs 67.27 crore for the first nine of FY09 months (Rs 68.15 crore).

As per the graph given above the EPS has gone down to Rs 0.47 in the third quarter.

Paints sector analysts feel the slowdown in the real estate sector that kicked off from

September 2008 has affected the profitability of Berger Paints in Q3 of FY09.The

slowdown has affected the decorative segment considerably as most people have

postponed repainting of their homes.

Page 97: Paint Report

97 | P a g e

6.5 KANSAI NEROLAC PAINT

Parameters Mar ' 08 Jun ' 08 Sep ' 08 Dec ' 08

Sales 308.41 354.34 390.56 316.59

Operating profit 40.51 44.73 45.38 34.54

Interest 0.35 0.39 0.55 0.54

Gross profit 44.14 51.48 48.82 39.15

EPS (Rs) 8.89 11.2 10.04 7.88

By looking at the graph presented above one can infer that the sales have fallen to a

low of Rs 316.59 in the third quarter. The operating profit has also dipped to

34.54.The Gross profit dipped to an all time low of 39.15 due to the ever increasing

raw material prices. The interest obligation has also risen moderately from Q1.The

graph given in the next page also indicates that the Earnings per Share have come

down considerably. The graph is indicative of the fluctuations in the earnings per

share throughout the year

Page 98: Paint Report

98 | P a g e

Reasons for the Poor Show in the Third Quarter

Subdued margins in automotive paints While the company's strong presence in

the automotive paint category is a positive, margin in this segment are lower. The

reasons are multi-fold. Firstly, the bargaining power of the company is on the

lower side. Auto majors tend to squeeze their OEM suppliers in order to safeguard

their own margins in a downturn. Volatility in raw material prices and maturity in

value-addition to OEMs have also played a part in limiting the scope for margin

expansion.

Prospects linked to monsoon and the economy: Paint sector is heavily reliant on

the festive season (usually October to December quarter), which in turn is led by

better agricultural and industrial sector. But this time around Diwali fell in the

second quarter leading to poor show in third quarter.

Raw material related pressure: The paints sector is raw material intensive, with

over 300 raw materials involved in the manufacturing process. Prices of titanium

dioxide account for an estimated16% of total raw material costs. While crude oil is

not a direct input for manufacturing titanium dioxide, most manufacturing facilities

in the international markets are crude based plants. As a result, a rise in crude

prices results in a commensurate rise in raw material costs. Since raw material

costs account for almost 50% of sales, it could have significant impact margins and

profitability.

Page 99: Paint Report

99 | P a g e

6.6 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

COST ANALYSIS

Raw Material Costs as a Percentage of Sales

Quarter

Asian

Paints

Kansai Nerolac

Paints Berger paints ICI

Mar'08 59.79 52.56 54.07 46.23

Jun'08 57.43 70.7 68.23 48.85

Sept'08 67.96 71.27 69.86 56.84

Dec'08 63.42 48.59 56.7 44.11

From the graph, we can infer that in the 2nd

quarter of the financial year 2008-2009

i.e. in the September quarter, the raw material costs as a percentage of sales have

increased drastically. This has been mainly caused by the increase in crude oil prices,

rise in titanium dioxide prices and increased labour costs. Prices of titanium dioxide

account for an estimated16% of total raw material costs. While crude oil is not a

direct input for manufacturing titanium dioxide, most manufacturing facilities in the

international markets are crude based plants. As a result, hike in crude oil prices in the

later part of the year 2008 resulted in a commensurate rise in raw material costs. Since

Page 100: Paint Report

100 | P a g e

raw material costs account for almost 50% of sales, it had a significant impact

margins and profitability.

SALES ANALYSIS

Quarter Asian Paints Kansai Nerolac

Paints

Berger paints Shalimar

Paints

Mar’08 865.51 316.59 359.76 102.51

Jun’08 995.24 390.56 423.78 81.14

Sep’08 1168.3 354.34 378.16 102.12

Dec’08 1006.40 308.41 336.32 88.56

From the graph given above it can be inferred that in the case of Asian paints the sales

has been rising steadily but it has been mainly been affected by the rising costs of

production. But even with Asian paints the sales has dipped in the 3rd

quarter to

1006.40.Kanai Nerolac has been the worst affected because its sales have dipped to an

all time low of 308.41.This is because of it‘s over dependency on the automotive

sector. The sales during the different quarters have gone down because of various

reasons like the global slowdown and rising inflation .This has affected the decorative

segment adversely because it has lead to stagnancy in the real estate sector and people

have postponed repainting of their homes. Moreover each industry in India like

automobiles etc have been affected and it has lead to a downward trend in the

industrial segment as well.

Page 101: Paint Report

101 | P a g e

6.7 STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE ADOPTED TO COUNTER

RECESSION

• Take decisive actions. A ―Do nothing‖ response to market upheaval and dramatic

downturns can be devastating for Paint Companies. Developing and implementing a

well thought out and sustainable strategy is essential for paint companies to getting

past the bad times.

• Reduce working capital requirements. Significant cash must be freed up by reducing

inventory and receivable levels. These untapped cash reserves can be accessed over

the near-term with usually little to no capital investment required by undertaking

initiatives involving optimizing the planning tools of management information

systems typically in place but under-utilized or poorly understood.

• Reduce operational costs. Streamlining the organization and improving business

process efficiencies will free up cash requirements. Once again, this usually results in

immediate cash flow improvements.

• Adapt to meet shifting customer needs. The pricing strategies, credit terms, product

mix and service offerings may need to change with them. Being prepared to show

customers that they can be flexible in these areas and that will help them during the

difficult times to gain much sought after customer loyalty.

• Improve credit worthiness. Use the above strategies to improve credit worthiness by

reducing debt and strengthening your balance sheet. Bankers are looking much harder

at these factors in today‘s economic environment. Good credit worthiness and a

strong balance sheet translate into a decisive competitive advantage in the

marketplace, especially during these difficult economic times.

• Seize upon game-changing opportunities. Be ready to identify and move on the

―right opportunities‖ such as geographic expansion, new industry sectors, new

products and acquisitions among others. These actions will address near-term revenue

shortfalls and help position your business to capitalize upon the upturn in the

economy when it arrives.

Page 102: Paint Report

102 | P a g e

6.8 LOOKING AHEAD

The organised decorative paints industry, which suffered a setback in the third quarter

of 2008-09 due to economic slowdown, is hoping to witness growth in February-

March 2009. A major reduction in paint prices, due to a dip in input costs, is expected

to emerge as a major growth driver for the paint companies in the next few months.

Prices of decorative paints have declined by 10-12% in the last three months and

some of the organised paint makers like Shalimar Paints feel that there may be

another round of price reduction by the end of this month.

Paint makers also feel that with home loan rates easing, the real estate sector will

witness some activity, which in turn will help the Rs 10,000-crore decorative paints

industry see some growth. Till September 2008, the paints industry was doing

significantly well. Dealers had built up their stocks in the anticipation that sales would

further pick up in October-December period. But on the contrary, economic

slowdown hit the country and the volumes went down. Berger Paints has witnessed 2-

3% drop in volumes in the third quarter of FY2009. But the situation is likely to

change in the February-March period when demand from north and western India

picks up. Paint makers have suffered 3-10% fall in sales (volume-wise) during the

third quarter of FY09 as against the same period of the previous year. However, most

paint companies have decided to put their expansion plans on hold till the situation

looks up. The focus is now on better inventory management, review working capital

requirements and production volumes. The players in the Indian Paint industry have

adopted a wait and watch policy. They feel that demand will surge from March

onwards and by June-July sales will pick up significantly. A cut in home loan rates

will give a fillip to the real estate sector, which is good for the paints industry. As of

now the Indian Paint industry is hoping for the best.

Page 103: Paint Report

103 | P a g e

7.0 KEY FINDINGS

Paint industry has been growing steadily over the years with the impetus given by the

liberal policy of the government till it was hit by the global economic slowdown and

volatility in raw material prices. Till September 2008, the paints industry was doing

significantly well. Dealers had built up their stocks in the anticipation that sales would

further pick up in October-December period. But on the contrary, economic

slowdown hit the country and the volumes went down. Berger Paints has witnessed 2-

3% drop in volumes in the third quarter of FY2009.Paint makers have suffered 3-10%

fall in sales (volume-wise) during the third quarter of FY09 as against the same period

of the previous year.

With the industry business becoming complex, most companies have restructured and

have used information technology as the key driver for reengineering. They have

aligned their organized structures on the basis of expanding business and its

complexities. This was essential in order to tighten controls. Today, companies have

divided their sales organizations into decorative, industrial and high performance

coatings business units. The national level organization structure is split into zones,

regions and branches.

Companies not working on operational efficiency business models have been losing.

Asian Paints and Goodlass Nerolac have been aggressively working on cutting

costs/operating expenses. Berger has been managing well with economical yet

acceptable formulations and low operating costs.

There is also an increase in technology collaboration with foreign players. Like

Berger has a joint venture with Becker Industrial. A lot of importance is being paid to

developing environment friendly products. Like Dulux has expanded its line of low-

VOC paints with two green coatings. Pro Premium is an interior wall and ceiling paint

for commercial applications where performance, coverage, durability, and touch-up

are important. Pro Standard is a cost-effective interior wall and trim paint. Both

products meet LEED indoor air quality standards, as well as the Master Painters

Institute Green Performance Standards.

Page 104: Paint Report

104 | P a g e

The consumer‘s perception towards paint is also changing. Earlier it was considered

to be a luxury .But that perception has slowly changed over the years .It has changed

from a commodity to an FMCG. This has mainly due to good advertising and good

product positioning. There is efficient brand building in the part of the paint

companies and communication can make or break your brand.

A lot of paint companies have started focusing on the rural segment as well. In a few

years we will see cut throat competition in the rural segment as well

The organized sector which occupies 65% of the total industry will expand as a result

of more foreign players entering the market. The industry is likely to see more of

Mergers and Acquisitions. The paint industry in India is still not an oligopoly. But in

future it is likely to materialise into one.

Page 105: Paint Report

105 | P a g e

SCOPE

In this report we have only analyzed the performance of top 5 companies and its

performance over a period of ten years. This report has just given a broad outlook on

the impact of recession on the Indian Paint Industry. But further research can be done

on the following topics:

Impact of the lull in the automobile segment on the Indian Paint Industry

Impact of the slowdown on the Decorative segment

Moving away from the impact of recession on the paint industry we can also analyze:

the reasons for the low per capita consumption of paints in India

the role of advertising in changing the perceptions of the consumers towards

paint

the growth potential of Paint Industry in India in light of the deflationary

trends in the economy

the potential of the rural segment

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study was based on secondary data collected from magazines, newspapers, books,

blogs and websites were used. The report also contains analysis of the top 5

companies in India.

Page 106: Paint Report

106 | P a g e

REFERENCES

http://www.coatingsworld.com/articles/2007/07/2007-topcompanies-report.php

www.asianpaints.com

www.shalimarpaints.com

Capitaline Database

EBSCO Database

www.force10networks.com/company/customer_profiles/pdf/cp_AsianPaints.pdf

Article by Sutanuka Ghosal, Colourful Q4 likely for paint companies published on

5 Jan 2009, Economic Times.

Article by Sutanuka Ghosal, Leading paint makers likely to jack up prices

published on 14 May 2008, on Times Now News.

ACMIIL Research & Asian Paint Ltd. Annual Report FY07

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/2391/

www.emeraldinsight.com/1741-0401.htm

Business Line Newspaper

http://www.valuenotes.com/AChugh/ac_shalimar_25sep06.pdf

http://www.shalimarpaints.com/images/pdf/Annexure%20-

%20II%20To%20Director's%20Reports_2006.pdf

SIP report on Kansai Nerolac – AG Nandakishore

www.nerolac.com/index.jsp?page=home

http://en.onccc.com/news/10100102/40410.html

www.akzonobel.com

ACMIIL Report on Paint Industry Published on 15 April 2008.

www.crisil.com

http://www.i2.com/assets/pdf/CSS_PRO_Asian_Paints_css6846.pdf

Wikipedia

Equitymaster

http://www.managementparadise.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-72869.html

Page 107: Paint Report

107 | P a g e

ANNEXURE 1

FORMULAE OF RATIOS

The formulae of ratios used in comparative analysis of top five and bottom five

companies are:

1.) DEBT-EQUITY

A measure of a company's financial leverage calculated by dividing total

liabilities by stockholders' equity of the company. It indicates what proportion of

equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets.

DEBT-EQUITY = DEBT / EQUITY

2.) INTEREST COVERAGE RATIO

A ratio used to determine how easily a company can pay interest on outstanding

debt. The interest coverage ratio is calculated by dividing a company's earnings

before interest and taxes (EBIT) of one period by the company's interest

expenses of the same period.

INTEREST COVERAGE RATIO = EBIT / INTEREST EXPENSES

3.) CURRENT RATIO

Liquidity ratio that measures a company's ability to pay short-term obligations

CURRENT RATIO = CURRENT ASSETS / CURRENT LIABILITY

Page 108: Paint Report

108 | P a g e

4.) FIXED ASSET TURNOVER RATIO

Indicates the relationship between assets and revenue.

FIXED ASSET TURNOVER RATIO = REVENUE / TOTAL FIXED

ASSETS

5.) INVENTORY TURNOVER RATIO

A ratio showing how many times a company's inventory is sold and replaced over

a period.

INVENTORY TURNOVER RATIO = COST OF GOODS SOLD /

AVERAGE INVENTORY

6.) PRICE – EARNINGS RATIO:

A valuation ratio of a company's current share price compared to its per-share

earnings.

PRICE – EARNINGS RATIO=MARKET VALUE PER SHARE /

EARNING PER SHARE