Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2004

General Paints Ltd

• Homepage
• Chairman's Statement
• Chief Executive Officer's Report

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• Section 1
  Achieving Export Sales
• Section 2
  Investing in Research and Innovation
• Section 3
  Competing Through Productivity
  • First time exporters take off with First Flight
  • Heartlands USA Best Practice Mission
  • Libra Designs
  • General Paints Ltd.
• Section 4
  Starting Up and Scaling Up
• Section 5
  Driving Regional Enterprise

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• Membership of the Board & Committees
• Organisation Structure
• Statutory and Other Notices
• Financial Statements
• Office Network

General Paints Ltd is Ireland’s leading independent paints and industrial coatings manufacturer. Until recently the company’s main focus was on the domestic market with a minor focus on export. In 2004, and pursuant to a new strategy focused on opportunities in the UK, exports rose significantly. This success is largely due to investment in new product development, productivity and process efficiencies and a targeted export marketing campaign.

In 2004, General Paints developed a new range of high quality products focused specifically on female buyers in recognition of the fact that it is the female buyer who usually picks the colour scheme. The company used Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) investment from Enterprise Ireland to help develop this range of sophisticated colour mixes and an in-store display unit. The delivery of premium quality paint products combined with contemporary and fashionable colours and colour schemes is crucial for export marketing success in the paint and colour market.

The company is now growing steadily and Enterprise Ireland is supporting it on many levels including management training and process & strategy development. A benchmarking process assisted the company with improving efficiencies in its production and order delivery systems and three senior General Paints executives are participating on Enterprise Ireland’s Marketing Strategies for Profitable Export Growth training initiative.

General Paints also commissioned Enterprise Ireland’s London office to conduct market research on the UK market. As a result of Enterprise Ireland’s advice and support, the company exhibited at the DIY & Garden Show in Earls Court. All of these activities are assisting the company through an exciting period of growth, change and opportunity and are helping the company to continue competing with the multinationals in a very demanding market.

General Paints is based in Kildare and has 80 employees. It supplies to over 100 independent stores in Ireland and plans to develop a sales force in the UK in 2005. General Paints merged with MRCB Paints in 2002 and the company now has three retail shops under the MRCB banner in Waterford, Dublin and Celbridge.

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