CUSTOMERS ANINDT IRNONDOUVCATION
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Adapting to local requirements
With 10 regional R&D centres strategically located in key markets around the world, Jotun is in a strong
position to develop and adapt products to meet local requirements.
As a global manufacturer of paints and coatings, Jotun is
active in countries with different regulatory requirements,
customer preferences and access to raw materials. To meet
these different requirements, Jotun relies on the expertise of
chemists working in the company’s regional laboratories in
Norway, The UK, Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, the US, the UAE,
India, South Korea and China. While most of their work is
related to adapting or customising existing products, many
R&D centres are tasked with developing new products specific
to individual markets.
Consumer preferences
Jotun develops decorative paints to meet the preferences
of consumers or to manage competition in the market. For
example, in the Middle East, Jotun chemists developed two
medium range exterior paint products (Durosan Action and Easy
Coat Textures) and Lady Design, a series of interior special effect
paints available in different finishes. In Norway, Jotun launched
Drygolin Nordic Extreme for the 2019 season, an exterior wood
protection product specifically engineered for Norway’s tough
climate. In Malaysia, Jotun chemists developed Jotashield
AntiFade Colours, an environmentally friendly exterior paint
specifically engineered for the hot and humid climate in South
East Asia.
In the Protective Coatings segment, meeting local regulatory
requirements is the responsibility of Jotun chemists in all
regions. Limits on the use of Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs) and biocides in China and South Korea have required
extensive work to adapt a broad range of primers, topcoats
and intumescent coatings. In Europe, coatings manufacturers
must comply with a number of EU regulations limiting the use
of potentially harmful substances, including VOCs. Also, many
individual countries have different standards, which require
product adaptation for Jotun products to meet regulations.
Jotun chemists are also asked to customise powder coatings
products to fit the needs of individual customers.
Supporting operations
Jotun’s regional laboratories are also tasked with helping
operations reduce the per litre cost of production by testing
and evaluating local raw materials. While raw materials for
marine coatings are standardised throughout the network,
Jotun sources raw materials locally whenever possible to
reduce the cost of manufacturing paints and coatings in other
segments. Jotun continues to invest in personnel, equipment
and facilities in all regional laboratories to meet increasingly
strict regulations, evolving customer preferences and Jotun’s
own internal objectives.
Jotun R&D