The economic recession and shrinking order books in the manufacturing sector have brought a downturn in demand for industrial coatings, prompting changes in ownership amongst paintmakers and disrupting normal supply channels, with a consequent reduction in service. Since industrial paint and powder coatings users have come to expect first-class service levels, with 24 hour deliveries, full product range availability and colour consistency, customers are beginning to express dissatisfaction.


“Some of the traditional value sets seem to be disappearing from our industry but we like to think that we possess the attributes that buyers still value highly, like customer service and technical excellence,” says HMG Paints MD, John Falder. “As a long-established, privately-owned British paintmaker, we still concentrate our manufacturing resources in this country and are particularly strong in areas like R&D, colour matching and technical support.”

HMG has appointed ex-Trimite National Sales Controller, Ian Knowles, to help spearhead its push for a greatly increased share of the industrial coatings business, in the UK and Ireland. Offering more than 30 years paint trade experience and an in-depth knowledge of the industrial scene, he will work on a consultancy basis with HMG’s Sales & Marketing Manager, Danny Cleary, and a team of experienced HMG technical sales professionals.

“We are best known for our commercial transport coatings and speciality finishes, but have an enormous portfolio of industrial paints and powders, including the latest water-based and high-solids compliant coatings. So with Ian Knowles’ specialist know-how and contacts, we hope to make further, serious inroads into the industrial market,” says Danny Cleary. “With our direct sales team, regional associates and network of independent distributors, we provide complete coverage of the UK and Ireland, typically with next-day delivery.”

From its Collyhurst, Manchester headquarters and subsidiary plants, HMG produces millions of litres of paint annually, including coatings for ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood and wooden composites, plastics, glass, concrete and virtually every type of substrate. Employing expert colour matchers and high tech spectrophotometers, the company boasts a library of more than 50,000 different shades and produces paint to all BSI, RAL, OEM and Pantone standards, ensuring consistent colour reproduction every time, with no minimum volume requirement. It also offers two highly accurate colour mixing schemes, Unit and Unit Lite, for distributors and major paint users.

HMG’s extensive product range meets industrial customers’ demands for aesthetics, protection, technical performance, ease of application and quality, supplying materials either off-the-shelf or custom-made to individual specifications. Topcoat formulations include acrylated alkyd, acrylics, cellulose, chlorinated rubber, epoxies, polyurethane, stoving enamels, vinyls, wood lacquers and waterborne paints, backed by a complete choice of cleaners, primers, fillers and sealers. Powder coatings, manufactured at HMG’s Belfast plant, cover a wide range of epoxy, epoxy polymer and polyester products, including an anti-graffiti series, in an exhaustive selection of colours and finishes.

After eighty years in the paintmaking business, HMG also knows everything there is to know about surface preparation, paint application and technical coatings performance and is happy to pass on this knowledge to customers. Its R&D department works with clients to develop practical paint solutions for unusual or difficult applications; while it also has an impressive track record for innovative and product developments, such as its translucent solar reflective coatings and instantly rain-resistant ‘Raincoat’ finishes.

“When it comes to supplying the industrial coatings market, HMG ticks all the right boxes,” says Ian Knowles. “It is a go-ahead independent British manufacturer, with a comprehensive, modern product range and a strong reputation for service. It is very responsive to customer orders and can get any paint in the range, to anywhere in the UK.”