Africa’s coatings market remains optimistic about its performance on the back of growing automotive, construction and building sectors. Market leaders such as Henkel, Hempel, BASF, Becker Industrial Coatings and Sika have recently indicated in their financial reports that the African market is one that contributed to an increase in their sales volumes. Some of the companies have actually opted to open operational offices in Africa to tap into the region’s potential.
Germany’s Henkel, whose third quarter 2012 sales went up by 6.6% to €4.294 million (an increase of 2.5%), listed Africa as one of the markets that contributed to the company’s improvements in sales. Henkel, which is known for its Loctite, Pattex and Teroson brands, has operations in Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Algeria. The company’s brands of adhesives, sealants and surface treatments are supplied to the transport, electronics, maintenance and repair, and packaging sectors.