Chennai: Nippon Paint India, part of the NIPSEA Group and a subsidiary of Nippon Paint Holdings of Japan, has outlined a focused India-centric growth strategy under its new Managing Director, Sharad Malhotra. This marks the company’s first detailed articulation of its India roadmap following the recent leadership transition, reaffirming India as a priority long-term market for the Asia Pacific’s No. 1 paint and coatings manufacturer.
The renewed strategy is centred on strengthening Nippon Paint India’s India-first operating model, accelerating pan-India market expansion through a unified approach, and exploring inorganic growth opportunities to further strengthen its portfolio in the country. With seven manufacturing plants across India, strong Japanese technical expertise, and a robust ‘Make in India’ foundation, the company aims to build a self-sustaining India platform anchored in manufacturing excellence, quality, and deep local relevance.
As part of its expansion plans, Nippon Paint India will step up investments beyond its traditionally strong southern markets, sharpen market segmentation, and deepen penetration across high-growth urban and semi-urban centres. At the same time, it will consolidate leadership in core regions while strengthening its pan-India distribution footprint.
Speaking on the company’s strategic direction, Sharad Malhotra, Managing Director, Nippon Paint India, said, “India is a priority, long-term market for Nippon Paint, and our focus is on building a differentiated, India-first growth strategy anchored in manufacturing strength, disciplined execution, and deep local relevance. As a truly integrated global paints and coatings company operating in India, we bring direct access to Japanese technology, governance standards, and manufacturing discipline. As the first Indian Managing Director of Nippon Paint India, my mandate is to build a compelling, India-specific growth model that aligns with global standards while responding to local market realities.”
Highlighting the decorative business opportunity, Mark Titus, President, Decorative Business, Nippon Paint India, said, “India represents a significant long-term opportunity for Nippon Paint’s decorative business. We see significant headroom for growth driven by premiumisation, brand building and stronger channel and influencer partnerships. Our strategy is to scale thoughtfully and bring global best practices in product innovation and manufacturing excellence to the Indian market. As we expand our dealer and distribution footprint across regions, we remain committed to applying global best practices while building strong, market-relevant brands in India.”
Under the new leadership structure, Nippon Paint India will consolidate all its paints and coatings businesses under a unified operating model. This integrated approach is expected to enable flexible manufacturing, operational leverage, and a cohesive pan-India distribution network, supporting scale, efficiencies, and synergies across markets.
Backed by over six decades of leadership across the Asia-Pacific region, Nippon Paint brings a strong track record of technology-led growth, disciplined expansion across coatings segments, and manufacturing excellence. In India, the company will continue to pursue balanced growth across decorative, industrial, automotive refinish, automotive OEM, and wood coating segments, with a focus on customer-centric innovation, brand-led differentiation, and long-term value creation.
Sustainability, innovation, and governance remain central to Nippon Paint’s global operating philosophy. The Group’s “Asset Assembler” model supports sustainable earnings growth through a combination of organic expansion and disciplined inorganic growth, including selective M&A in paints and adjacent markets, reinforcing its commitment to building resilient, future-ready businesses in India.
