Project Reports

Turpentine (also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, and wood turpentine) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene. It is sometimes known colloquially as turps, but this more often refers to turpentine substitute (or mineral turpentine).

The two primary uses of turpentine in industry are as a solvent and as a source of materials for organic synthesis. As a solvent, turpentine is used for thinning oil-based paints, for producing varnishes, and as a raw material for the chemical industry. Its industrial use as a solvent in industrialized nations has largely been replaced by the much cheaper turpentine substitutes distilled from crude oil.

Turpentine is also used as a source of raw materials in the synthesis of fragrant chemical compounds. Commercially used camphor, linalool, alpha-terpineol, and geraniol are all usually produced from alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, which are two of the chief chemical components of turpentine. These pinenes are separated and purified by distillation. The mixture of diterpenes and triterpenes that is left as residue after turpentine distillation is sold as rosin.

Turpentine is also added to many cleaning and sanitary products due to its antiseptic properties and its "clean scent".

Virtually all the non-producing countries in the world (and some of the producers) import rosin and turpentine, or their derivatives or synthetic competitors. The biggest markets for imported gum rosin are Japan, Western European countries, particularly Germany, the Netherlands and France, the Republic of Korea, the United States and India. Globally, the European Community (EC) is the biggest importer and consumer, and the People's Republic of China is its biggest supplier by far. France and Spain are the biggest importers of gum turpentine in the EC; they fractionate it and manufacture downstream derivatives for domestic consumption and re-export. Japan and India are other large importers of turpentine; supplies of rosin and turpentine to India supplement indigenous production. The very large requirements for both rosin and turpentine in countries such as the United States and the former Soviet Union are met primarily through domestic supplies of tall oil rosin and sulphate turpentine.

Paints and their allied products like enamels, varnishes, pigments, printing inks and synthetic resins protect national assets from corrosion. These are increasingly being used in automotive, engineering and consumer durable sectors. Thus, economic development has a direct bearing on the paint industry. The paint industry is constantly upgrading its technology to meet the changing needs of the consumers.

The industry is broadly divided into two segments-decorative and industrial paints. The decorative paints which accounts for 75 per cent of the organized sector, are meant to protect valuable assets like buildings. This market is highly price sensitive. The industrial paints accounts for the rest 25 per cent share and are meant to protect white goods appliances from corrosion.

The size of the paints industry in India is around Rs 95 billion. The current demand is estimated at 650,000 tonnes per annum. This industry is seasonal in nature. There are around 26 paint units in the organized sector, accounting for around 65 per cent of the total output. The unorganized sector has about 2000 units. The total output at present is of the order of 4.5 lakh tonnes.

Major players in this sector includes Asian paints which has a market share of 44 per cent, followed by Kansai Nerolac 20 per cent, Berger paints 17 per cent, ICI 12 per cent and Shalimar paints 4.4 per cent and others 2.6 per cent. Today a number of foreign players have subsidiaries in India. Berger is strong in decorative segment and is the leader in protective coatings. Kansai Nerolac is the leading player in automotive OEM finishes and powder coatings. ICI (India) is a major player in decorative emulsion segment. The industrial paints market is valued at Rs 21 billion.

India’s paint industry has a bright future. The players with aggressive marketing strategies and comprehensive product portfolios will grow at a faster rate. The emerging trends in technology and marketing indicate that the industry is likely to consolidate in the coming years with industry leaders improving their market share.