By SHAZNI ONG / Pic By ISMAIL CHE RUS

PAINT maker Jotun said paint does not have a massive impact on the construction cost of buildings.

Jotun Malaysia and Singapore MD Eric Mallace said the margin for paint investment going into building projects accounts for less than 2% of total cost.

Mallace, however, said over the past 18 months, the multinational company has seen a dramatic increase in raw materials cost by over 40%.

“Basic chemicals such as titanium bauxite have increased dramatically globally including Malaysia. We cannot absorbed the cost and have to pass it down to the consumers,” he said.

On whether the Sales and Services Tax has affected Jotun’s business, Mallace said the company saw a higher offtake during August from the retail market, as dealers wanted to stock up.

“Apart from that, we have not really seen a huge impact on the business,” he said.

Mallace said the company is targeting a sale growth of 20% year-onyear with the introduction of Jotun’s new and improved Jotashield Anti-Fade Colours paint.

“Jotashield Anti-Fade Colours was introduced in South-East Asia more than 25 years ago, and it has steadily gained a strong reputation for providing good, quality product over the years.

“The paint was relaunched in 2012 with a single aim — to deliver outstanding colour performance — and it has proven to be a great success with over 50 million litres sold across the region, making it the best-selling paint by Jotun to date,” he said.

On a related matter, Jotun Paints (M) Sdn Bhd announced a collaboration with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to restore the faded colours of buildings and laneways in the city of Kuala Lumpur (KL), in conjunction with the release of the new and improved anti-fade paint.

The collaboration is an initiative to beautify iconic buildings as well as the streets of KL.