Interview: “Our product quality and performance are not fully known in the market

How will the new plant add to your capacities?

Robert Moor: The new plant allows us to double our production capacity and will serve a global customer base, first of all for the Asian market. For the time being, we will manufacture products for the paints & coatings and textile sectors. We also intend to produce specialty chemicals and electronics in the near future.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for Protex in the next couple of years?

Moor: The biggest opportunities for us will be to support the switch of the paint market from solvent-based to water-based (especially in the Beijing region, because of the strict environmental regulations), thanks to our water-based paint additives portfolio. We can focus more on the industrial segment versus architectural and decorative segment, thanks to our specialty additives portfolio, which will better address the specificities of this segment.

Another opportunity we have is to exploit the transition from the plastic packaging to more environmentally friendly solutions, thanks to our specific additives for paper and cardboard papers. In addition, to address new societal needs such as comfort, safety, and quality with our targeted additives such as flame retardant and barrier coatings etc.

And the challenges?

Moor: The main challenges for us are that we are not a local producer and we are not a large multinational. We are a mid-size multinational company developing specific solutions. So, our notoriety must be improved in order to justify our positioning because our product quality and performance are not fully known in the market. Due to our mid-size, we don’t have our own sales force and instead, we are working with distributors. The Group is open to realising acquisitions.

This interview is part of a longer article on the acquisition which can be read in the November issue of the European Coatings Journal.