Nippon Paint Marine rides high on sustained market growth

Over the course of 2024, it plans to launch several new products to market, including expanding its leading antifouling solution, FASTAR, to incorporate Hydrogel ‘water-trapping’ technology for both ocean-going and coastal-range vessels. 

It also has a new president to drive these new launches – Gladys Goh, who is the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan.

”We operate in an increasingly dynamic and fast-changing market, as the shipping industry faces multiple challenges,” she said.

“From improving its sustainability and meeting decarbonisation targets, to ensuring profitability during testing economic and geopolitical times. However, these challenges also bring many opportunities to innovate, to evolve and to create technologies and solutions that can drive genuine impact and positive change.”

Ambitious aims

Ms Goh joined Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2006, leading expansion into new markets. She concurrently serves as senior vice-president, strategic innovation & marketing at NIPSEA Group.

She said that looking ahead into 2024, the company is also focusing on developing low VOC in both antifouling and anticorrosion coatings to meet regulatory compliances and regional VOC requirements, especially in key markets such as China and South Korea.

Nippon Paint Marine will also strengthen its cargo hold and cargo tank solutions, including offering methanol-resistant coatings in line with the industry’s increased use of methanol as a viable new fuel to meet decarbonisation targets.

In 2024, the company will further expand its supply points, to include North America and South Africa, following the acquisition of new locations in Australia, Egypt and Gibraltar last year.