BASF’s business with decorative paints in South America and
China is not affected by the divestiture. The business with industrial coatings of Relius Coatings remains a part of BASF Coatings.
In 2006, BASF acquired Relius Coatings GmbH and Co. KG
as a part of the Degussa construction chemicals business. It remained a company within BASF Coatings.
“In a very competitive market, we have been successful in sta-
bilizing the Relius deco paints primarily in the areas of brand,
distribution and innovation,” said Raimar Jahn, president of the
coatings division of BASF. “To be profitable over the long-term,
however, our market share is too low, particularly in Germany.
For this reason, we believe that the Relius deco paints will de-
velop better in another environment.”
The decorative paint business of Relius focuses on direct sales
to painters and specialist dealers. In Germany and France, Re-
lius has about 30 distribution offices. In addition, Relius mar-
kets deco paints through importers in selected countries in
Western Europe. In the Netherlands, Relius manufactures and
Tikkurila Focuses on Color
Design of Coatings to Give
Them the Competitive Edge
The right coating material protects the product. Colors give a positive impression of the
product's quality, and they help to improve
visibility and brand awareness. Colors can also
be used to highlight the form and structure of
a product.
It is increasingly difficult to stand out in
today's global market. Cost-effective production, or making products that work in even
the most demanding conditions is not
enough—the product must stand out among
competition. Visible qualities—the surface,
colors and design—play a crucial role.
"The color design and color marketing of
industrial coatings are increasingly important.
Colors make the products unique and distinc-tive," said Petri Järvinen, Tikkurila's sales director, Industry, SBU Finland and Scandinavia.
Tikkurila regularly organizes training for
product designers, industrial designers, architects and its own retailers to help all the different partners to make best possible use of
Tikkurila's paint products. The focus in the
training sessions is, among others, on product properties and on the selection of colors.
Finishing Touches with the Help of a Color
Designer
Public spaces and buildings can be given a
more striking appearance with professional
color design.
"These days, it is still common to have a
single color across an entire solid structure. By
using different color combinations, structures
can be made to stand out in a completely new
way. Businesses should utilize the know-how
of designers who are experienced in using
color. For designers, colors provide a way to
give their work a unique look," Järvinen said.
On the other hand, colors can improve
the comfort and appeal of public spaces, especially in environments such as restaurants
and stores.
Järvinen gives an extreme example: an
Irish bike retailer who turned the store premises into a work of art by using different designs and colors.
"People flocked to the store just to see
it, and thanks to more customers the retailer
enjoyed an increase in sales. Not before
long, the investment in the surface treatment earned the store its money back many
times over."
Trendy Surface Treatments with Metallic
Paints
Metallic paints can be used to give a vibrant
surface treatment and to highlight the struc-
ture and form of the product. Lighting en-
hances the shininess of the surface. When
light hits the product, the small metallic parti-
cles in the coating reflect the light back, which
creates an impression of a unique, high-qual-
ity surface.
The old Kodanská Palace in Prague, Czech Republic, refurbished and converted into an office building.
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