The premium paints used in Formula One cars are now available in the UAE as the Dutch coatings brand Sikkens is relaunched here. The move follows the recent opening of a regional Application Training Centre in Dubai by parent company AkzoNobel.
“Sikkens has been present in the Middle East for more than a decade and has developed a strong reputation across the region including the UAE,” Peter Tomlinson, Director of AkzoNobel’s Automotive and Specialty Coatings business, tells GN Focus.
“Body shops in the region seeking premium paint performance look towards Sikkens vehicle refinish system in the demanding world of vehicle refinishes, where the highest quality repair is an essential demand of car owners, manufacturer, insurers, fleets and work providers. Launching Sikkens [here] enables consumers to have the perfect product at hand to meet these demands.”
Millions of colours
The Sikkens line-up, including non-paint items such as mixing machines and colour tools, is available through the brand’s authorised distributors. AkzoNobel tech offers access to more than two million colours and variants.
Sikkens has partnered with McLaren to create state-of-the-art, high performance and sustainable solutions. The new MCL33’s eye-catching colour, Papaya Spark, first used by McLaren in 1968, has been developed by Sikkens in collaboration with McLaren.
The automotive manufacturer has been using Sikkens for its F1 cars since 2008, when it partnered with AkzoNobel. “The McLaren team relies on AkzoNobel’s coatings technology to provide colour, protection and performance — all essential elements for F1 racing,” says Tomlinson. “The innovative coating systems we supply have enabled the McLaren F1 team to significantly reduce the total weight of paint and decrease paint processing time by more than 50 per cent and reduced the paint shop’s carbon footprint by 80 per cent.”
In addition to its F1 cars, AkzoNobel is also the sole supplier for McLaren Automotive and is currently supplying refinish systems to all McLaren body shops across the globe, including Middle East and specifically Dubai.
Thanks to a strong research and development unit, the company’s coatings products are well suited to the UAE climate. “Sikkens has dedicated innovation and development labs where our products are constantly being aligned with the ever changing demands and needs of the market including need for products that are suitable for certain climate conditions,” Tomlinson says.
This has led to the development of a dedicated assortment of products for the Middle East, taking into consideration the extreme climate conditions. All products have successfully been tested and have been used in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain and countries with similar climates.
Tomlinson points to several products within the Sikkens portfolio that are well suited to the UAE market. The Sikkens Autoclear Rapid Air AS is a fast air-drying anti-scratch clear coat with a dust-free time of only five minutes. “It is a product designed for versatility and can be used in a wide range of temperatures and conditions making it a perfect fit for the UAE,” explains Tomlinson. “The exceptional drying speed increases productivity in the body shop and because it is air-dried, helps reduce energy costs too.”
Body shop products
Sikkens Autowave MM 2.0 is a high-performance base coat, using innovative waterborne binder and pigment tech. It provides excellent coverage, metallic control and sprayability. The combination of fast process times, ease of use, reliability and perfect colour matching creates the confidence to achieve top results. “The gains in efficiency pay off as greater customer satisfaction, not only in our range of beautiful colours but also in increased productivity in the body shops.”
Sikkens and AkzoNobel have been leaders in coatings for centuries. “The Dutch tradition of paint making and commitment to the craft inspires us to this day and AkzoNobel is refocusing on its roots in paints and coatings.”
Sikkens is a 225-year-old brand — in fact, the company has just celebrated the birthday of its founding father Wiert Willemsz Sikkens, who was born in April 1755 — but the brand has been working with customers to deepen its understanding of the industry and customers’ needs in order to provide customised solutions to the refinish market.
