Kansai Plascon Announces African Acquisition
Africa’s number one coatings company, Kansai Plascon Africa Limited has
partnered with Astra management and
staff to acquire a 63.25 percent interest in the issued share capital in Astra
Industries Limited, from the Finance
Trust of Zimbabwe Limited. The deal,
worth approximately $5.5 million, will
place Kansai Plascon at the head of the
coatings market in Zimbabwe. The acquisition shows Kansai Plascon’s faith
in Zimbabwe, which is in the process
of rebuilding its economy, as well as
the confidence it places in the experienced management team that heads up
Astra, according to the firm.
Astra Paints, Astra’s major subsidiary, is Zimbabwe’s leading paint company. The other operating subsidiary
is Astra Chemicals, which markets
and distributes a diversified range of
chemical products to industry. Astra
Paints is currently the largest paint
manufacturer in Zimbabwe and has
two operating factories in Harare and
Bulawayo. Astra Paints also holds
40 percent of the market share in
Zimbabwe, with an especially strong
footprint in Harare and Bulawayo.
Kansai Plascon reports that one of
its key strategies is to expand its leadership position into the rest of Africa. The
inclusion of Astra Paints in Zimbabwe
further strengthens Kansai’s presence in
Southern Africa, as it already has factories and brand presence in Botswana,
Namibia, Zambiaand Malawi. Where
Kansai Plascon does not have a factory in a region, it exports out of South
Africa into retail outlets and directly
to contractors. It has been exporting to
various countries in Africa since 2004
including: Mozambique, Seychelles,
Mauritius, Kenya and Nigeria.
Hiroshi Ishino, president of Kansai
Paint, indicated that it has been Kansai’s
intention to invest in Africa through
its holding in Kansai Plascon. This in-
vestment, he said, is the first major
acquisition since Kansai Paint acquired
Freeworld in 2011.
ALTANA to Acquire
Rheology Business of
Rockwood
The specialty chemicals group ALTANA
has signed a definite agreement to
acquire the global rheology busi-
ness of Rockwood Holdings Inc. The
Index to Companies
This index gives the starting page for a department or feature with a significant reference to a manufacturer of paint, coatings, adhesives and sealants
Subsidiaries are indexed under their own names.
AkzoNobel ............................................................................................... 10, 16
Asian Paints .................................................................................................... 16
BASF ......................................................................................................... 10, 20
Cortec ............................................................................................................. 50
Devoe Paint..................................................................................................... 10
International Paint .......................................................................................... 20
Nipsea............................................................................................................. 10
Nippon............................................................................................................ 20
PPG...................................................................................................... 10, 16, 20
Pres-On ........................................................................................................... 20
Rust-Oleum............................................................................................... 10, 20
Sherwin-Williams ...................................................................................... 20, 22
Silent Running................................................................................................. 20
Tiger Drylac .................................................................................................... 20
Valspar ............................................................................................................ 10
8 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
August 2013
