Due diligence

Dulux Automotive Coatings has become well-acquainted with Australia’s transport industry. The outfit, a division of the century-old international DuluxGroup, is based in Dandenong South and Clayton in Victoria where it develops and maintains numerous product types and ranges that offer automotive solutions for the sector.

While some of Dulux Automotive Coatings’ value proposition includes solutions for passenger vehicle paint coats, the vast majority of the company’s focus has been on heavy vehicles. This has been the case since its inception.

“Our core business is commercial transport,” says DuluxGroup National Major Account Manager – Automotive – ANZ, Jason McColl. “Although this demographic isn’t the largest in the industry when compared to the likes of passenger vehicles, which we do create some products for, the commercial heavy vehicle market is in our company’s DNA. We’re a key player in the space.”

Dulux Automotive Coatings’ products are not designed for a one-size-fits-all kind of application. The company takes immense pride in its ability to accommodate the needs of each individual customer and to provide an automatic solution suited to their specific transport activities. This is imperative as the road transport industry is filled with an assortment of customers whose businesses vary significantly. So, in order to service them all, Dulux Automotive Coatings needs to be flexible.

“Our services are used by a wide array of customers,” Jason explains. “We have smaller customers and larger customers. Some are the owners of multiple shops and some are large-scale manufacturers. The needs between these customers can be very different.

“Dulux Automotive Coatings can accommodate all this demand despite the differing needs of customers. Our products are not just developed to suit the general industry but all the stakeholders within it. Our products adapt to the environments of the customers using them.”

As part of this effort to serve all customers, Dulux Automotive Coatings’ products are split across four distinct ranges, each of which cater to specific coating, tinting and fleet needs. The FleetShield range serves as the company’s flagship product mix.

“We offer polyurethane primers, epoxy primers, topcoat products and clear-over bases across these product ranges,” Jason explains. “These products are serving the market well, but Dulux is always adapting in order to service its demand better. And when the market evolves, we evolve with it, developing new solutions as needed.”

In every instance of product development, Dulux Automotive Coatings completes a rigorous process to determine what can and should be made. This starts with an in-depth analysis to identify opportunities to improve efficiencies, lower energy consumption and increase throughput. The company then undertakes a review of its existing product range – including advanced technologies available through its parent company, Nippon Paint, which is one of the world’s largest paint manufacturers – to determine whether a proven solution can be adapted locally or if a new formulation should be developed.

The process that follows involves benchmarking the product against other options in the market and comprehensive examinations of its performance in different conditions. These hazards and conditions vary greatly and include anything from salt spray, stone chipping simulations and UV resistance to durability, stability and performance in Australia’s harsh environments.

Another integral step in the product development process is receiving customer feedback. This is particularly crucial for Dulux Automotive Coatings due to the unique nature of its customer base and its operations. In order to best receive this important feedback, some senior chemists will often travel with the company’s sales team to visit customers in person. This has allowed them to establish direct connections with end users as well as check in on product performance.

The feedback received is then passed on to Dulux Automotive Coatings’ applicators who act as middlemen in getting the product from the producer to the customer. These chemists are part of the Dulux Innovation Centre, bringing technical expertise directly to customer sites.

The processes of product development, testing and adjustment have allowed Dulux Automotive Coatings to supply the commercial transport industry with celebrated automotive coating solutions for years. In the midst of current rollouts, it’s expected that further opportunities will carry these capabilities into next year.

“Dulux is always looking for opportunities to expand,” Jason says. “Some of these opportunities may present themselves soon.”