Jotun expands Chinese production

Norwegian coating manufacturer, the Jotun Group, will spend $37 million building a wholly-owned factory in Zhangjiagang in a bid to meet the rapidly-growing demand in China. The new factory, with a capacity to produce 50 million litres a year, will be one of the largest and most advanced coating production facilities in China.

Jotun is currently the No 3 producer of marine paints and industrial protective coatings in China with a 12% share in marine paints and 15% market share in industrial protective coatings in 2004. China’s marine and manufacturing industries have been experiencing rapid growth in recent years and the firm’s Guangzhou plant found it could not meet market demand two years ago.

Jotun’s first factory in China was established in Hong Kong in 1982 and, in 1993, the company established a joint venture plant with China’s shipping giant COSCO. That facility, which is located in Guangzhou, manufactures and sells marine paints, protective coatings and decoration coatings, as well as supplying after-sales services.