Alwan’s new coating boon for healthcare
01 March 2013
RIYADH-based Alwan Powder Coatings is all set to launch a new anti-microbial coating which is expected to be of particular interest to health and education authorities in the region for application in hospitals and schools.
The new product Sterilcoat AM, produced under licence from the Protech/Oxyplast group, will be officially launched at a seminar on April 1 at the Marriott Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The powder coating comes in various colours, special effects and gloss levels and is the first among a string of new products that are expected to be announced shortly, according to Ihab Elayan, the company’s sales and marketing manager.
Established in 1993, Alwan is one of the largest producers of powder coatings in the GCC. It is also a member of the Protech/Oxyplast Group, which provides it with access to a wide range of products and technologies.
The new anti-microbial coating is suitable for hospitals, nursery furniture, and food-processing areas in addition to restaurants, washrooms, schools, offices and greenhouses.
Elaborating on the benefits of the coating with regard to the healthcare industry, Elayan says antimicrobial coatings, supplemented with sanitary measures, can reduce the number of additional infections patients pick up from hospitals particularly due to their weakened immunity system. He says 10 per cent of patients acquire infections in hospitals with five to 10 per cent of these infections being caused by the MRSA superbugs.
He says Sterilcoat AM antimicrobial coatings provide broad spectrum protection also covering the MRSA superbugs. Clinically proven, the active component in the coating is released in a controlled manner and has a long-lasting action.
The antimicrobial coating does not cause skin irritation and is non-sensitising and non-mutagenic. The product remains stable in temperatures of up to 500 deg C and exhibits pH stability from pH 1 to 13. The Oxyplast powder coating range is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.
Alwan Powder Coatings has come a long way since its inception and has witnessed rapid growth in the last five years.
“Today, we are producing 7,000 tonnes per annum and have gained a foothold in the market for our polyester powder coatings in Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries as well as Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon,” says Elayan, who has seen the company’s output grow from just 4,000 tonnes when he first joined the company eight years ago.
“We have seen an 18 per cent increase in sales in 2012 over the previous year, due primarily to our expansion into new markets as well as from rising domestic demand. We are now exporting 80 tonnes per month to Egypt,” he adds.
With the domestic market accounting for 70 per cent of Alwan’s total production, Elayan is confident that the company’s production capacity of 10,000 tonnes will be reached soon. Hence, it intends to expand in the second half of this year by introducing two new lines, which will boost its capacity by 25 per cent.
Alwan Powder Coatings’ target market is the construction industry as well as home and kitchen appliances, lighting products and gas cylinders. Currently, the company employs 100 staff and has branches in Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Sharjah, UAE.
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