2026 Global Top 10: No. 9, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd.
Established in 1918, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd. manufactures and sells paints and coatings, designs, manufactures and sells coating equipment and undertakes painting-related work. The company’s core business areas include automotive coatings, industrial coatings, decorative coatings, automotive refinish coatings, protective coatings and marine coatings. Kansai Paint reported 16,739 consolidated employees as of March 31, 2026.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, Kansai Paint reported consolidated net sales of ¥589.8 billion, up 0.2% from ¥588.8 billion in the prior fiscal year. Excluding foreign exchange effects, net sales were ¥602.9 billion, up 2.4%. Operating profit declined 4.5% to ¥49.7 billion, while EBITDA increased 1.6% to ¥82.5 billion, with an EBITDA margin of 14.0%. Net profit declined 17.4% to ¥31.6 billion, partly reflecting a ¥2.0 billion provision for a tax dispute in Tanzania and a ¥1.0 billion impairment loss on Spiber.
9. Kansai Paint Co. Ltd.
2025 Coatings Sales: Approx. $3.94 billion USD (¥589.8 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026
Headquarters: Osaka, Japan
President: MORI Kunishi
By region, FY2025 net sales were: Europe, ¥162.7 billion; Japan, ¥159.9 billion; India, ¥138.4 billion; Asia, ¥68.1 billion; Africa, ¥51.7 billion; and North America, ¥9.0 billion. Sales increased in Europe and Africa, while Japan, India, Asia and North America declined compared with the prior fiscal year.
By sector, automotive coatings generated ¥178.4 billion in net sales, up 0.9%; industrial coatings generated ¥176.2 billion, up 4.8%; decorative, automotive refinish and protective coatings generated ¥183.2 billion, down 3.3%; and other businesses generated ¥52.0 billion, down 4.2%. Kansai Paint said FY2025 sales were driven by automotive and industrial coatings.
Notes: In April 2025, Kansai Paint began its 18th Medium-Term Management Plan, adopting the vision “Enrich Lives with Happiness: Coating Lives Worldwide.” The plan prioritizes supply chain and ERP reforms in Japan, growth in India’s industrial coatings business, profitability improvements in Europe and the expansion of its One Africa operating model.
Also in April, KANSAI HELIOS announced that four of its powder coating products received REMADE® certification. The certified products contain between 14% and 25% recycled content or certified byproducts and are supported by third-party traceability requirements.
In July 2025, KANSAI HELIOS acquired a 135,000-square-foot powder coatings production facility in Johnstown, Ohio. The $20 million investment is expected to quadruple the group’s North American powder coatings production capacity and support growth in automotive and general industrial markets.
In October 2025, Kansai Paint and Toyota Gosei jointly developed an in-mold coating technology for large automotive plastic exterior parts. The process combines molding and coating in the mold, eliminating separate paint booths and drying ovens. The companies said the technology can reduce production-related carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 60%.
In December 2025, KANSAI HELIOS outlined its “True Colors” transformation plan, focused on integrating recent acquisitions, improving profitability and consolidating operations. The initiative includes optimizing product segments, production sites, legal entities, logistics and digital systems, with targets to reach a 15% EBITDA margin by 2027 and 18% by 2030.
In March 2026, Kansai Paint released its Global Trend Colours 2026-27 program under the concept “Livewith.” The company introduced seven color directions intended to reflect changing preferences for connection, coexistence and emotional resonance.
Source: Annual Report, company website, press releasesLooking for a reprint of this article?
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