Permagard India is eyeing expansion. Deepti Thore looks at the scope of growth through the company’s paint protective solutions.
Emerging as a fast-growing ‘Surface Paint Protection’ and ‘Car Care Treatment’ company, Permagard India is eyeing expansion. Specialised in protective coatings which are designed to perform in harsh environments, Permagard offers protective coats and solutions that are claimed to have gained traction in the automotive space. “In the automotive space, the application potential is huge since the automotive market is booming and the need for car care products are rapidly increasing,” pointed Aman Singh – Founder and Director, Permagard India. “Customers are getting more aware of their car and the products in order to keep their vehicles in a good shape. We see a huge upswing in this industry over the next five years,” he added, speaking on the potential of such products and the market for them.
Permagard range
Permagard develops products benchmarked to global standards. Designed to suit Indian conditions, these solutions are claimed to offer protection from direct sunlight, oxidation, and airborne pollutants known to damage the coat of paint. Claimed to be highly durable and last for long, the range, said Singh, is cost-effective too. Offered for both, interior and exterior of the vehicle, these solutions are applied on the original painted surface by a certified technician. On application, it forms a glass-like protective, smooth coat to add to the gloss finish. It is said to offer superior, safe, and reliable protection on old vehicles too. Known to have adopted hydrophobic efficiency, the Permagard range is claimed to be made using environmentally friendly and biodegradable components that are safe to use.
Copolymer technology
The Copolymer technology is engineered to shield the interior upholstery from accidental water spills. A hydrolysis reaction results in cross-linking forms of a water repellent polymer coating. The patented technology adopted by Permagard contains polar amines. A positive charge attracts negatively charged substrates. The resultant strong bond penetrates the porous surfaces of the substrate.
Reactive polymer technology
Applied to the exterior of the vehicle by an oscillating (buff like) machine to the painted surface of the car, the reactive polymer coating fills the paint pores. It creates a flat and uniform surface. A molecular reaction helps form a layer of coat over the paint which then initiates a covalent reaction to bond and tighten the plastic molecules. The technology enables the lamination of the car at a molecular level encapsulating the paint with a plasticised protective barrier.
Antimicrobial Shield
Drawing attention to the exterior protection segment as one of the highest-selling segments of the company, Singh touched upon the Antimicrobial Shield, the company’s flagship. He informed that the shield protects the vehicle from 99.9 per cent of all germs and bacteria for a longer period. It is developed using Lysis technology which ambushes and assassinates viruses and germs by deflating the cell membrane of the microbe and eradicating its edifice. It is also effective against the mold and mildew growing in the HVAC system of the vehicle and the microorganisms mushrooming on the interior surfaces. It also offers odour resistance.
The Strategy
To fuel its expansion aspirations, the company is known to be working on increasing its dealership touchpoints from 27 cities with plans to inaugurate tier1 cities like Mumbai and Delhi. While mentioning how Covid-19 had impacted the business, Singh admitted the pandemic as the most disruptive force for the global paint and coating industry. While explaining how the company dealt with the crisis by focussing on safety and quality, Singh averred, “Our process ensures our partners or suppliers have the resistance to overcome challenges thus helping them to gain accelerated momentum.” He pointed out that the demand for such protective solutions is rising with markets opening up as a result of the momentum gained from the festive season and the growing popularity for personal mobility.
While drawing attention to its plans for expanding its footprint in India, Singh mentioned that Permagard is working relentlessly on strengthening its ecosystem. The company already has five operational franchises spread across Ahmedabad and Surat, and few are already under development in Vadodara, Mumbai and Pune. Hinting at a new collaboration to fuel its growth plans, Singh mentioned, “New partnerships are integral to our expansion plan, and we are working towards getting into a collaboration with a pan India automotive key player to amplify our presence.” ACI
Poised To Grow Manifold
In an upfront conversation, Aman Singh- Founder and Director, Permagard India spoke to Deepti Thore on the paint protective solutions poised for a manifold growth.
Q. Tell us about your journey in India and the significant milestones. What is the receptiveness for paint protective solutions in India?
A. We are one of the leading global leaders in the paint protection technology segment. Permagard India has been delivering innovative cutting-edge solutions for the past two decades for automobiles. Permagard India has quickly climbed the success ladder in a short span of three years. Since its inception in 2018, currently, we’re a growing family with five franchises across India and a dealer network in 27 cities—having serviced 15,000 customers and receiving great acceptance and recurring demand for our products and services proving to be a complete car care protection provider.
Q. How did business get impacted in the last 19 months and when did it recover?
A. The Covid pandemic created disruptions across the globe and for industries. Our process ensures our partners/ suppliers have the resistance to overcome challenges thus gaining an accelerated momentum. Also, during the pandemic, our focus has been on safety and quality which make certain that our suppliers and partners do not compromise on these factors, especially amidst the second wave of the covid pandemic. With an end-to-end visibility, Permagard is positioned to tackle any challenge while continuing to grow and meet customer demand. During the unprecedented complete lockdown and shutdown of all the economic activities between May-August, 2020 our business too was heavily impacted, but with the markets opening up and with the fast pace of vaccination drive and with personal mobility becoming the preferred mode for the commuters, our business picked up.
Q. Did efficiencies added along the way have a role to play?
A. Permagard India has established a strong foothold in India with technologically superior, safe, and reliable products to suit Indian demographic conditionss. Our offerings are quite a in demand. Both interior and exterior protection products along with our flagship anti-microbial shield have made a mark for themselves. It was heartening to see the Indian market respond so well to high-end car care products like ours.
Q. Can we expect any new product launches in near future? What are the innovations on interior safety enhancements through offerings like antimicrobial protection and interior shield range in the aftermath of the pandemic?
A. As one of the leading players in paint protection, we would like to stay ahead of the curve and offer our customers the best of products. Our existing line of products are highly effective. Also, we are constantly working on upgrading our offerings with the latest innovations. We introduced an Antimicrobial Shield, a surface protection shield. Proven to be effective against SARS and other bead-based viruses for up to 12 months, it guards surfaces against harmful viruses by hindering the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, pathogens, yeast, mould, and mildew. The Antimicrobial Shield polymerises (bonds) with the surface where it is used, resulting in a strong, durable, invisible, and effective barrier to germs, even after cleaning it. It is a non-toxic, hypo-allergenic solution that utilises the most advanced germ-killing technology, which is so effective that it kills almost 99.99 percent of germs and bacteria instantly. By assassinating the viruses at a microscopic level rather than using harsh alcohol or poison, it allows it to be used in confined environments such as cars, kitchens, offices or living rooms. It is certified by ISO14001 (Environment), OHSAS18001 (Health and Safety), and ISO9001 (Quality).
Q. What is the future of paint protective solutions?
A. The Indian automotive paints and coatings market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 30 per cent during 2021-2026. This industry is poised to grow multi-folds in the coming years as key factors drive the market demand in the automotive refinish sector. Also, in the resin segment, polyurethane resin is expected to dominate the market.
Q. What are your growth and challenge areas?
A. The growth forecasted for novel products like ours is immense. We have an extensive range of protective products for automobiles. From exterior care to interior protection, from virus-shielding to window films, we provide holistic car care products. Our patented technology creates a high-gloss protective barrier on the car body neutralising any exterior damages like bird droppings, insects, road grime and the allied. Similarly, when it comes to the insides, our unique copolymer technology ensures that the fabric is safe from any liquid spills or discolouration from the sun.
COVID-19 has been the most disruptive force for the global paint and coating industry as well. The paint and coatings industry has seen a fall in demand last year and in the second wave of the Covid pandemic in an unprecedented manner. Although the production of the paint manufacturing units has resumed with the markets opening up leading into the festive season, and demand for personal mobility continuing to rise, the surge in demand looks here to stay. ACI
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