Hempel inaugurates new coatings factory in Kuwait
Hempel has inaugurated a new factory in Kuwait, which will meet the growing demand for marine, protective and decorative coatings and consolidate the company’s position as market leader in the region.
The new factory in Mina Abdullah is the latest addition to its comprehensive global supply chain. In 2016 alone, the company completed a capacity expansion project in Malaysia and opened new factories in Russia and Vietnam, adding more than 28 million litres to its annual production capacity.
Fully up by September 2017
With a 40 percent higher capacity than Hempel’s existing production facility in Safat, Kuwait, the new EUR13 million factory will help the company meet growing demand for its coatings in Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It will be fully up and running by September 2017, and Hempel’s existing factory in Safat will close later in the year.
The factory at a glance
- Will produce marine, protective and decorative coatings for Kuwait and other GCC countries
- Built to ISO 9000 quality management guidelines
- Includes a solvent distillation unit, wastewater treatment plant, and regenerative thermal oxidiser unit to reduce waste and water use
- Capacity: Up to 25 million litres per year
- Cost: EUR 13 million
- Inaugurated: 22 March
- Full production: By September 2017
Making operations more efficient
Karsten Pedersen, Group Vice President of Hempel Middle East (West), comments: “The new factory is a state-of-the-art facility that will produce coatings that are trusted across the region to provide long-term protection to industrial assets, large buildings, homes and infrastructure. We are looking forward to continuing to be the market leader in the region, while increasing production and making our operations cleaner, faster and more energy efficient.”
Designed with sustainability in mind
Built to ISO 9000 quality management guidelines, Hempel’s factory is designed with sustainability in mind. It includes a solvent distillation unit that recycles solvents to reduce hazardous waste, as well as a water treatment plant that ensures much of the factory’s wastewater can be reused for vegetation and cleaning. The factory is also the first coatings production unit in Kuwait to include a regenerative thermal oxidiser unit, which removes volatile organic compounds during production to prevent atmospheric pollution.
