The new factory is being built on 52 rai of land in the Amata Industrial Estate in Chachoengsao and will support rising market demand in Thailand and abroad.

The manufacturer and distributor of high-quality paint yesterday said the new plant had been designed to increase production capacity for Water-Borne automobile spray paint.

"This plant is built to cater to the company's growing export markets. We expect to gain a further 45 per cent market share by the end of this year to continue being number one in the automotive paint market," said Suebphongse Poonsatha, president of the company,

He said this year the company would continue to give priority to automotive paint, which is the company's strength.

"The company's products suit all kinds of cars and our share reached 43 per cent of total sales in the market last year," he said.

Analysts said first-quarter domestic car sales slumped 18 per cent year on year. Hence, car manufacturers had increased their exports to 55 per cent. Only the remaining 45 per cent of cars are supplied to the local market.

Based on these figures, it can be seen that the car market still has a chance to grow by focusing more on export markets. This would result in the growth of the automotive paint market.

Since the auto industry in other countries now places more importance on conservation, all materials, including paint, must be environmentally friendly. Many countries, especially those in Europe, add Water-Borne paint as their standard. Although this standard has not been enforced seriously, the company is confident that Water-Borne paint will become the standard in the car industry in the future. Water-Borne paint helps conserve the environment because it is oil free.