“Localization is a key pillar of our growth strategy. We continue to work closely with local supplier ecosystems, strengthen sourcing capabilities, and develop formulations that address Indian operating conditions and customer requirements.” Subash Gaijes Selvaraj, President – Industrial Coatings at Nippon Paint India
In an era where manufacturing competitiveness is defined by asset longevity, cost optimization and rigid environmental benchmarks, industrial coatings have evolved far beyond their traditional cosmetic role. Today, they stand as critical enablers of engineering resilience by protecting massive infrastructure, extending automotive lifecycles, and directly cutting the total cost of ownership for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Aligning local manufacturing agility with global technological prowess has become the definitive blueprint for market leadership in this space.
In this exclusive interview, Niranjan Mudholkar, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of The Manufacturing Frontier, sits down with Subash Gaijes Selvaraj, President – Industrial Coatings at Nippon Paint India. Mr. Gaijes outlines the company’s aggressive expansion across India, the Middle East, and Africa, driven by a diversified vertical portfolio and an intensive focus on leadership talent. He delves into how Nippon Paint is championing the ‘Make in India’ vision through deep supply chain localization, pioneering sustainable low-VOC and energy-efficient formulations, and preparing for a disruptive, AI-driven future of smart materials and self-healing technologies.
QnA
Niranjan Mudholkar: Under your leadership, Nippon Paint’s Industrial Coatings business has seen rapid growth and an expanded footprint across India, the Middle East, and Africa. As you look at the next phase of growth, what are the primary strategic pillars driving your vision for scaling this business further?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: Our growth strategy is anchored in three priorities: expanding across all major industrial coating verticals, strengthening our market presence across India, the Middle East, and Africa, and building future leaders who can drive the next phase of growth. While we are investing in additional verticals beyond our existing ones, including Coil Coatings, Automotive Coatings, General Industrial Coatings, Protective Coatings, Powder Coatings, and CAN Coatings, we are also strengthening our manufacturing and technical capabilities. Equally important is our focus on talent development, leadership development, and building a high-performance team to support our long-term ambition to become one of India’s leading industrial coatings businesses.
Niranjan Mudholkar: You have often advocated for viewing industrial coatings as a strategic enabler rather than just an aesthetic layer. How is Nippon Paint shifting the industry paradigm to highlight coatings as critical drivers of asset durability and functional protection?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: Industrial coatings today play a far greater role than appearance. They are critical to enhancing asset life, protecting against corrosion, improving operational reliability, and reducing lifecycle maintenance costs. Nippon Paint focuses on developing coating systems that address real-world industrial challenges across automotive, infrastructure, steel, and manufacturing sectors. By combining advanced chemistry, global technology, and application expertise, we help customers improve durability, productivity, and sustainability. Our objective is to position coatings as an investment in long-term asset performance rather than simply a finishing layer.
“Our focus is on building locally relevant solutions, improving supply responsiveness, and supporting the growth of industries such as automotive, infrastructure, engineering, and steel processing.”
Niranjan Mudholkar: In high-throughput sectors like automotive manufacturing and infrastructure projects, efficiency is everything. How do your advanced coating solutions help OEMs and industrial players improve their operational productivity and reduce total cost of ownership?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: Our coating solutions are designed to deliver value beyond product performance. We focus on improving application efficiency, reducing maintenance requirements, extending asset life, and enhancing production productivity. For automotive manufacturers and industrial customers, this translates into lower downtime, reduced repainting cycles, improved corrosion protection, and better process efficiency. By combining advanced coating technologies with technical support and customised solutions, we help customers optimise operational costs while improving the durability and performance of their products and assets over the long term.
Niranjan Mudholkar: Sustainability is no longer optional in manufacturing. From a coatings’ perspective, how is Nippon Paint helping industrial clients meet their environmental targets?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: Sustainability is embedded in our product development strategy. We are continuously investing in low-VOC formulations, energy-efficient curing technologies, and advanced coating systems that help extend product lifecycles and reduce resource consumption. Our focus is on solutions that minimize environmental impact without compromising performance. By helping customers reduce maintenance frequency, improve operational efficiency, and meet evolving environmental regulations, we support their broader sustainability goals while contributing to more responsible manufacturing and infrastructure development.
Niranjan Mudholkar: With India rapidly emerging as a preferred global manufacturing hub, how is your business actively aligning its manufacturing expansion and capacity-building strategies with the national ‘Make in India’ vision?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: India is becoming a critical manufacturing destination, and our growth strategy is closely aligned with the Make in India vision. We are strengthening manufacturing capabilities, expanding production capacity, and leveraging global technology to serve both domestic and export markets. Our focus is on building locally relevant solutions, improving supply responsiveness, and supporting the growth of industries such as automotive, infrastructure, engineering, and steel processing. By combining local manufacturing with global innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to India’s industrial and manufacturing ambitions.
“The future of innovation will be driven by sustainability, smart materials, advanced corrosion protection, energy-efficient coating technologies, and the adoption of AI in research and manufacturing.”
Niranjan Mudholkar: Localization is crucial for supply chain resilience and cost-efficiency. What specific initiatives is Nippon Paint driving to localize raw materials, formulation development, and manufacturing processes for the Indian domestic market?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: Localization is a key pillar of our growth strategy. We continue to work closely with local supplier ecosystems, strengthen sourcing capabilities, and develop formulations that address Indian operating conditions and customer requirements. Our R&D and technical teams focus on adapting global technologies for local applications while ensuring quality, performance, and cost competitiveness. This approach not only improves supply chain resilience and responsiveness but also supports faster product development and greater value creation for customers operating in India’s diverse industrial environment.
Niranjan Mudholkar: Looking ahead, what disruptive trends do you foresee in industrial coating technologies over the next three to five years, and how is Nippon Paint positioning itself to lead these changes?
Subash Gaijes Selvaraj: The future of innovation will be driven by sustainability, smart materials, advanced corrosion protection, energy-efficient coating technologies, and the adoption of AI in research and manufacturing. We also see significant potential in next-generation weather-resistant coatings, specialised chemical-resistant systems, and emerging technologies such as self-healing and smart coatings. Nippon Paint focuses on investing in R&D, global technology partnerships, and customer-led innovation to bring these advancements closer to commercial adoption. Our objective is to remain at the forefront of coating technology while helping customers address future performance, sustainability, and productivity requirements.
