A culture of innovation is a notable aspect of Sigma Paints’ operations. Over the past quarter of a century Sigma Paints Saudi Arabia has grown to become one of the region’s leaders in the market segments of decorative, marine and protective coatings.

“Founded in 1722, Sigma’s three centuries of heritage have contributed significantly to its present day’s accelerated success, and spearheaded its impressive plans for growth through innovation,” a company statement says.
“Our goal is to become the leading paint solutions provider in the Middle East – and I believe we are the leaders. We are the coatings pioneers,” comments Mark van Diemen, general manager of Sigma Paints Middle East.
“Being a market leader does not necessarily have to be reflective of market share – you can quite easily achieve the largest market share through the supply of inexpensive low-quality paints. For us, leadership means to be innovative, being ahead of the market, offering new ideas and solving the problems of our customers”, says van Diemen, who is responsible for piloting the Sigma team towards achieving greater innovations.
“To retain this leading position, Sigma’s continuing focus is on innovation, dedication and durable protection, which are the company’s brand values.” Sigma has introduced a number of new innovative products. One of the most recent and striking product developments in the protective coatings sector is the technologically advanced coating used for the protection of the internal surfaces of buried pipelines, known as “Internal pipeline rehabilitation” — an internal lining for corrosion control. Sigma developed this technology some 25 years ago and is now successfully implementing it in the Middle East.

Revolutionary technology
“We are one of the few companies in the region that can provide this unique and technologically advanced coating which allows pipeline internals to be coated while it is still buried,” van Diemen explains proudly. “This in-situ coating provides the highest levels of corrosion protection and chemical resistance; existing pipelines can now be more readily refurbished and at a fraction of the cost of a new line.”
Van Diemen explains that the revolutionary coating, not only offers economical value for Sigma’s customers, but also has a positive impact on the environment. The cost of steel is escalating and the capacity of production is more limited and many steel pipelines will not be coated internally at the time of construction. In oil production it has been observed that with depletion of the wells the composition of the produced oil is changed and turns more aggressive. The corrosion process creates a hazardous situation, which might result in leaks and blow-outs resulting in environmental pollution.  Replacement of these lines would involve enormous costs.
The advanced in-situ product can also be used for newly installed pipelines and as a result of this coating and the application process the weld seams, a major corrosion hotspot, are equally and adequately coated resulting in a higher level of corrosion control from the outset. The improved techniques in the specialist application procedures in combination with this newly developed coating system results in an effectively controlled in-situ cleaning and coating process, which can be utilised for the protection of onshore and offshore steel pipeline internals.
The company highlighted additional benefits of the internal lining apart from corrosion control, namely improved product purity due to the absence of corrosion products, increased pipeline efficiency due to a smooth inner surface and reduced consumption of corrosion inhibitors
The “internal pipeline rehabilitation” coating has already been successfully employed in what was Sigma’s first project in the Gulf region, involving a 16 to 20 km stretch of pipeline in Kuwait. Having achieved significant customer success with this first order last year, Sigma has again been specified and appointed to supply for the second and third phases of the project.
Sigma’s continuous success is largely credited to the sterling efforts of its comprehensive research and development (R&D) facilities. Sigma is harvesting the fruits of its dedicated focus on innovation and durable protection, coupled with heavy capital investments in production, logistics and warehousing during 2007. Sigma has been consistently outpacing the growth of the Saudi paint market, which has been witnessing an annual growth of 7 per cent. The company achieved a massive 25 to 30 per cent growth in business last year. Yet, the confident general manager emphasises the softer ethical values.

Dedication and positive thinking
Sigma’s motto is to “deliver on what we promise”, according to van Diemen. “We are true to our heritage, not only in terms of product supply but also in our dedication to provide effective solutions and unrivalled after-sales support to achieve the highest possible level of customer satisfaction. We transmit vibes of dedication and positive thinking. A satisfied customer will spread the good word around and this will strengthen not only our brand awareness but also our reputation as a reliable paint company.”