Sadolin sees a bright future in Uganda’s paint market

Nearly two years ago, the holder of Sadolin franchise in East African sold its business to a Japanese paint maker, Kansai Plascon. But for fear of losing market share, Sadolin brand owner – AkzoNobel – based in the Netherland handed over the license to the rival firm Crown Paints to produce and sale Sadolin Paints in the region. Deon Nieuwoudttal, the commercial director for East Africa at AkzoNobel, talked to The Independent’s Isaac Khisa about the company’s progress and the prospects that lie ahead.

Following the sale of assets belonging to the former holder of Sadolin Paint brand in the region nearly two years ago and your decision to invest in your own plant to start paint production locally and protect your market share, what progress have you made so far?

We have made significant progress. We have set up a production plant, and we now have products on the Ugandan market. Initially, we didn’t have any product. We have also been in position to launch a product specifically for the Ugandan market. This followed a thorough research and investment that enabled us come up with a kind of paint that is suitable for this tropical climatic conditions. Some of these products included Wallquard that is specifically made to combat mold as well as a whole range of exterior products. We also embarked on training our painters to make them experts in matters painting. We realized that we could not tackle the issue of good paintings without skilling and imparting knowledge to our painters on not only how to use our paints but also advise consumers. Currently, we are running two sessions per month in various parts of the country; imparting them with skills in paint composition, importance of following painting systems as well as how do deal with the problems that our consumers are trying to combat.

What strategies are you undertaking to grow your business and the market share?

We are focusing on training our dealers and painters and setting up a distribution in a proper way. This is to showcase our products and ensure that when consumers visit us, they indeed get colour experience. We are also expanding our product range in a sensible way. We want to launch products that are relevant to the Ugandan market and not merely launching paint products.

What is your assessment of paint market in Uganda at the moment?

Since the last half of 2018, paint demand is still under pressure. But we have made good progress and we are comfortable where we are based on our achievements. We are now looking to a bright year.

Which products do you plan to unveil this year and your market share?

We are in a competitive environment and I may not be able to reveal the products we plan to launch this year. The same applies to our market share.

What does the progress made so far mean to you as a commercial director for Sadolin in East Africa?

I am very proud of achievements we have made so far. Our local team has done a fantastic job. We wanted to be on the Ugandan market and I am happy we have done that. We have developed a good platform for the company’s future growth. Sadolin has been one of our shining stars in Africa and we want it to continue.

How has the company managed to rebuild the supply chain?

We are basically setting up a very unique distribution channel. We have been able to bring a whole new generation of dealers into the market. We are also encouraging entrepreneurship. We are supporting upcoming entrepreneurs who can build our brand moving forward.

Where do we see Sadolin in the next five years?

We want to re-establish Sadolin as a major player in the provision of quality paint. We want to be seen as a renewed company and use our global credentials and technologies to ensure that our Ugandan consumer can really benefit from it.

****