Kansai Paint Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd (Kansai Paint Asia Pacific), a subsidiary of Japan's largest coatings manufacturers, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd., today launched a new eco-friendly, air-purifying paint called ‘ALES SHIQUY'. The new paint also marks Kansai Paint's centennial celebration and continued investment in technology in Malaysia.

‘ALES SHIQUY', a water-based decorative emulsion paint, is Malaysia's first locally-manufactured lime plaster paint that dramatically improves air quality of indoor spaces. It works by trapping and deactivating the ingress of harmful bacteria as they come into contact with surfaces painted with the new paint featuring the unique ‘Shikkui' properties. ‘Shikkui' is a traditional Japanese natural material commonly known as ‘slaked lime' that has excellent anti-viral and anti-bacterial, humidity control and deodorisation functions.

Given rising concerns for air quality within indoor environments, the launch of ‘ALES SHIQUY' is seen as timely as it offers consumers a cost-effective solution to protect indoor environments from harmful pollutants such as formaldehyde.

Speaking at the launch event, President and CEO of Kansai Paint Co., Ltd, Hiroshi Ishino said, "Kansai Paint has been a real pioneer in producing innovative, high performing coating solutions for a diverse range of surfaces based on three key pillars of compliance, sustainability and quality. ‘ALES SHIQUY' attests to Kansai Paint's 100-year old mission to create safer and healthier living and commercial spaces for our customers. With this new paint, we are able to give our customers more options to meet their needs for creating a beautiful, hygienic, and safe living environment.”

According to reports by the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution has become a pressing sustainable development issue with an estimated seven million people succumbing to exposure to fine particles in polluted air every year. In recent years, household air pollution has become a pressing problem facing many households, Japan and Malaysia included.

"Kansai Paint has been consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation in coating technology; from automotive, decorative, industrial to marine. ‘Shikkui' has been used by Japanese professional plaster painters in castles and warehouses since about 1300 years ago. Leveraging on technology, we have made it possible to incorporate this natural material into regular paint and apply it on different surfaces such as paper, wall, fibre and even plastic sheets, to eliminate discomfort brought about by poor indoor air quality" Ishino explained.

‘ALES SHIQUY' can be applied on wall surfaces of different living spaces, including residential, office, healthcare and more to protect the occupants from harmful air pollutants. In addition, the new paint protects the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide. The paint is also non-flammable and can help prevent fires.

Commenting on the company's business outlook for the Malaysian market, Ishino said, "Malaysia has been a vital market for Kansai Paint driven by its strong growth prospects. Last year, Malaysia emerged as the third largest market by revenue for Kansai Paint. The company has invested about RM 120 million from 2013 to 2017 to increase the market presence and distribution channels of Kansai Paint in Malaysia. We are confident our operations in Malaysia will continue to grow in tandem with growing population, and in the longer term, contribute positively to Kansai Paint group's business performance.”

Kansai Paint began operating in Malaysia in the 1980's by providing the market automotive coatings. The company has since expanded into decorative and other protective coatings. The company has two manufacturing facilities in Klang which manufactures industrial, automotive and decorative coatings.

In 2016, the company selected Malaysia, among nine operational countries within the Southeast Asia market, as the company's regional hub. The company also rebranded from Kansai Coatings Malaysia to Kansai Paint Asia Pacific to reflect the company's regional expansion, using Malaysia as its base.

The new ‘ALES SHIQUY' offers approximately 500 colour choices to give customers the freedom to inspire their living spaces through colours. The new paint product will be available at all authorised Kansai Paint dealers as well as hardware shops at a retail price of RM 199 for a 5-litre can depending on the choice of colours starting July 2018. For information on store location, consumers can visit www.kansaimalaysia.com.