China is the second largest market for paint products in the world, and local Chinese companies are facing fierce competition from global corporations who want to gain a foothold in the market. Nanjing Alwayslucky Paints Co. Ltd. is a medium-sized manufacturer and distributor of decorative and wood paints, and ranks among the top three paint manufacturing companies in the Nanjing region of China. The company’s humble beginnings go back to 1988, when it started with the production of batch tinting in manual tanks in a classroom. Today, 100 people work with tinting systems for both in-plant and point-of-sale tinting in a new modern location outside the city.
Rising demand and growing competition from international paint manufacturers have put pressure on Nanjing Alwayslucky to dramatically increase production. The company discussed these challenges with CPS Color, the company now called Chromaflo Technologies after its colorant business combined with Chromaflo Technologies in December 2013. “The concept of integrated tinting solutions was a mystery to us,” says Tom Xu, Deputy General Manager at Nanjing Alwayslucky. The company used several different machines from various suppliers. “We encountered some problems with the different equipment because they were not compatible with one another. In addition, we wanted to get better service.”