AkzoNobel Car Refinishes announced today that it has received approval for the use of its Sikkens and Dynacoat products in Saudi Arabia from Tata Motors, one of the fastest growing OEMs in the region. For AkzoNobel, the approval means that its extensive range of Sikkens and Dynacoat products may now be used for repairs at Tata dealers and Tata approved repair shops.
“This approval is once again confirmation of the quality of our Sikkens and Dynacoat products,” noted Mohammed Faisal Gourh, Regional Manager Middle East for AkzoNobel Car Refinishes. “Tata Motors is playing an increasingly important role all around the world, and especially here in the Middle East. We’re very pleased to have this approval. With the range we can offer Tata and our expertise and experience, we believe that we deliver added value that will translate to improvements in quality and higher profitability at Tata-approved body shops.”
AkzoNobel’s relationship with Tata Motors goes back about seven years, with activities in India and the Middle East. The ties have grown closer in 2008, leading to this agreement, which was finalized as a result of the combined efforts of Tata Motors Head of Customer Support Seethapathi and Tata Motors Assistant General Manager-Service Sukanta Ghosh.
Akzo Nobel’s Sikkens brand is one of the market leaders in Saudi Arabia and enjoys a very favorable reputation. Mohammed Faisal Gourh noted that Tata has dealers in nearly all the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Since Saudi Arabia is considered to be a trend setter in the region, he is hopeful that the Tata approval for Saudi Arabia will set in motion a cascading effect in other countries.
“AkzoNobel Car Refinishes is one of the global leaders in car refinishes,” said Shakil Mohammed, Tata Motors Service Manager in Saudi Arabia. “They have made a major contribution to Tata here in the region with their assistance in introducing their 2K paint system into our dealer network, and supporting the network with on-the-job training for dealer technicians/supervisors, body shop management courses for body shop and dealer managers, and regular audits of painting processes throughout the dealer network. We’re looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the company.”
Representatives of the Tata Motors importer in Saudi Arabia, Alhamrani, have also expressed their enthusiasm for the agreement. “We are very excited about the approval and are looking forward to a long-term relationship with AkzoNobel,” said Mr. Essam Yaseen, DGM-Service at Alhamrani. His colleague Mr. Salim Matra, GM-Parts, added, “It's a pleasure to have the support of AkzoNobel for paint refinishing works. We have informed our entire network of this very important development.”
For more information
mohammed.faisal@akzonobel.com, Regional Manager Middle East for AkzoNobel Car Refinishes, Tel. +971506585738.