Jotun (company)

Last updated
Jotun Group
Type Private
Industry Chemicals
Founded1926;97 years ago (1926)
FounderOdd Gleditsch Sr.
Headquarters Sandefjord, Norway [1]
Key people
Morten Fon (President and CEO), Odd Gleditsch Jr. (Chairman of the board)
Products Paint
Owner Orkla Group (42.53%)
Number of employees
10,300 (2021)
Website www.jotun.com

Jotun is a Norwegian multinational chemicals company dealing mainly in decorative paints and performance coatings (marine, protective and powder coatings). It is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paints and coating products. [2] Jotun manufactures paints and varnishes for marine and industrial purposes, synthetic resins, floor coverings, polyurethane foam, heavy-duty coatings, binders, unsaturated polyesters, glass-fiber reinforced polyester pipes, tanks, and more. [3]

Contents

Jotun merged with three other paint producers in 1971 and became not only Norway's largest paint producer but also one of the largest companies in Norway. [4] As of January 2021, the company has a presence in more than 100 countries around the world, with more than 10,000 employees, 67 companies in 45 countries, and 40 production facilities in 21 countries.

As of 2021, Jotun had about 10,300 employees including one thousand employees within Norway. It operated 40 factories in 21 countries and is represented in 120 countries through distributors, offices, and agents. [5]

Jotun headquarters and R&D centre in Sandefjord, Norway Jotun headquarters.jpg
Jotun headquarters and R&D centre in Sandefjord, Norway

History

Jotun began in the early 1920s as a paint and marine provisions merchant in Sandefjord, Norway. Sandefjord was a popular homeport for whaling ships, which used to get laid up in port every summer for repairs and maintenance. The company's founder, Odd Gleditsch had worked on whaling ships and felt there was a demand for such a provider in the whaling town. During those days, paint stores usually sold pigments, turpentine and linseed oil separately, leaving it to purchasers to buy and mix them. [6] Gleditsch retired from the sea and opened a shop in Sandefjord to sell paints and provisions, but soon felt that a demand existed for ready-made paints. In 1926, he purchased an existing small chemical factory called Jotun. In the early 1930s, the company made its first popular ready-made paint called Arcanol, which was marketed to ship owners and shipyards, a strategy that Jotun continued to invest in. The 1920s and 1930s saw a boom in Norwegian shipping, especially in its dry cargo and tanker fleet, and Jotun took advantage of that.

To ensure an adequate stock existed in all principal ports for these Norwegian shipowners, Jotun began stocking paints in North Africa, Europe and the Americas. As the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries developed in the 1950s, Jotun began to market its products to ship suppliers there. The founder's son, Odd Gleditsch Jr., oversaw the company's expansion in the Middle East. Working with the Norwegian export council, he travelled to Libya where Jotun built its first overseas factory in 1962. In 1967, Jotun opened its second international factory in Thailand. which became the base for its operations in Southeast Asia. [7]

In 1982, Jotun opened a trading office in Hong Kong. As China began to open up, Jotun developed a joint venture in Shanghai with the Chinese shipping giant COSCO to provide paints to its shipyards and ships. During that time, Jotun established a separate company called Jotun Coatings which focused on the manufacture of paints. In the 1970s, the company began to develop solvent-free powder coatings. [8]

Organization

The Jotun Group has four divisions, with its head office in Sandefjord, [9] Norway.

Subsidiaries

Jotun became Norway's largest paint manufacturer in the 1960s and was headquartered in one of Norway's most modern industrial complexes in Sandefjord, Norway. In the 1960s, Jotun also began establishing factories abroad, including a factory in Tripoli, Libya. In 1968, Jotun established its first factory in Thailand near the capital of Bangkok. In 1969, Jotun's Spanish subsidiary Gardex S.A. opened its paint factory in Valencia, Spain. [10]

Subsidiary companies include Jotun Powder Coatings Pty Ltd. and Jotun Protective Coatings Pty Ltd. in Australia, Jotun Thailand Ltd. in Thailand, Jotun NOF in Singapore, Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, Jotun Polisan Boya Tic AS in Turkey, Jotun Hellas Ltd. in Greece, Jotun Brignola SpA in Italy, Jotun SAE in Spain, Jotun Polymer France SA in France, Jotun Deutschland GmbH in Germany, Jotun Polymer BV in the Netherlands, OY Jotun Scanpol AB in Finland, Jotun Danmark A/S in Denmark, Jotun Polymer Inc. in the U.A.E., JOTUN CZECH a.s.in the Czech Republic, Vera Klippan AB in Sweden, and Jotun-Henry Clark Ltd., Jotun Decorative Coatings Ltd., Jotun Polymber Ltd., and Corro Clark Coatings Ltd. in the United Kingdom. [11]

Jotun and famous landmarks

Jotun has been and is used on several landmarks.

These include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paint</span> Pigment applied over a surface that dries as a solid film

Paint is a liquid pigment that, after application to a solid material, and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer to protect, add color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many colors—and in many different types. Most paints are either oil-based or water-based, and each has distinct characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vestfold</span> Former county of Norway

Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered the previous Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration was located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the largest city is Sandefjord. With the exception of the city-county of Oslo, Vestfold was the smallest county in Norway by area. Vestfold was the only county in which all municipalities had declared Bokmål to be their sole official written form of the Norwegian language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tønsberg</span> Municipality in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway

Tønsberg, historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around 102 kilometres south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg. The city is the most populous metropolis in the district of Vestfold with a population of 52,419 in 2019. The municipality has a population of 56,293 and covers an area of 329 square kilometres in 2020. Tønsberg also serves as the seat for the County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandefjord</span> City in Norway

Sandefjord is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 January 2017, rural municipalities of Andebu and Stokke were merged into Sandefjord as part of a nationwide municipal reform. This merger was the first one to take place during the reform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacquer</span> Liquid or powder coating material which is applied thinly to objects to form a hard finish

Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCC Corporation</span> South Korean company

KCC Corporation is a Korean chemical and auto parts manufacturer, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Christensen</span> Norwegian businessman

Lars Christensen was a Norwegian shipowner and whaling magnate. He was also a philanthropist with a keen interest in the exploration of Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ole Aanderud Larsen</span>

Ole Aanderud Larsen was a ship designer and businessman from Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandefjord Museum</span>

Sandefjordmuseene (Hvalfangstmuseet) is a museum located in Sandefjord, Norway. It is dedicated to the whaling industry and is the only specialized museum on the subject of whales and whaling in Europe. Since 2009, the museum has been associated with the Vestfold Museum (Vestfoldmuseene). It is one of the largest whaling museums in the world, and Europe's only museum dedicated to the whaling industry.

<i>Southern Actor</i>

Southern Actor is a former whale catcher, currently a museum ship based in Sandefjord, Norway and owned by Sandefjord Museum. It is the only whale catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original working order. Over 100,000 hours have been spent on restoring the vessel.

<i>Sandefjords Blad</i>

Sandefjords Blad is a newspaper published daily in Sandefjord, Norway, except on Sundays. It is available in Norwegian language only. Sandefjords Blad is a private company, owned by Mecom with a circulation of 14,780 copies (2004) and 50 employees (2004). Sandefjords Blad is printed at the joint printing center Edda Trykk Ltd at Borgeskogen in Stokke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christen Christensen (shipowner)</span>

Christen Christensen was a Norwegian shipyard and ship-owner. He was the founder and chairman of the world's largest whaling company, A/S Oceana.

Odd Gleditsch Sr. was a Norwegian business entrepreneur. The founder of the paint company Jotun. He was CEO of the company from 1926 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulux</span> Internationally available brand of architectural paint

Dulux is an internationally available brand of architectural paint originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-based paints. It is produced by AkzoNobel although the North American market is now served by PPG Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Salvesen</span>

Christian Salvesen was a Scottish whaling, transport and logistics company with a long and varied history, employing 13,000 staff and operating in seven countries in western Europe. In December 2007, it was acquired by French listed transport group Norbert Dentressangle.

Whaling in Norway involves hunting of minke whales for use as animal and human food in Norway and for export to Japan. Whale hunting has been a part of Norwegian coastal culture for centuries, and commercial operations targeting the minke whale have occurred since the early 20th century. Some still continue the practice in the modern day, within annual quotas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Bryde</span> Norwegian businessperson, ship owner & whaler (1858-1925)

Johan Bryde was a Norwegian businessperson, ship owner and whaler. He helped establish a whaling station in the Colony of Natal. The Bryde's whale is named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nippon Paint</span> Japanese paints company

Nippon Paint Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese paint and paint products manufacturing company. It is the fourth largest paint manufacturer globally, based on revenue in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansai Nerolac Paints</span> Paint company in India

Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited is the largest industrial paint and third largest decorative paint company of India based in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of Kansai Paint of Japan. As of 2015, it has the third largest market share with 15.4% in the Indian paint industry. It is engaged in the industrial, automotive and powder coating business. It develops and supplies paint systems used on the finishing lines of electrical components, cycle, material handling equipment, bus bodies, containers and furniture industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hempel Group</span> Danish coatings company

Hempel A/S is a global supplier of coatings and paints in the protective, marine, decorative, container and yacht industries. Hempel factories, R&D centres and stock points are established in every region and the company was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1915.

References

  1. Errasti, Ander (2016). Global Production Networks: Operations Design and Management (Second Edition). CRC Press. Page 156. ISBN   978-1-4665-6294-3.
  2. C. Gopalkrishnan (2016). The Entrepreneur's Choice: Cases on Family Business in India. Routledge. p. 243. ISBN   978-1-134-90659-8.
  3. Whiteside, R. M., A. Wilson, S. Blackburn, S. E. Hörnig, and C. P. Wilson (2012). Major Companies of Europe 1993/94: Major Companies of Western Europe Outside the European Community. Springer Science & Business Media. Page 117. ISBN   978-94-011-1442-4.
  4. Hoffstad, Arne (1976). Sandefjord - byen vår: trekk fra Sandefjordsdistriktets historie under hvalfangsteventyret 1905-1968. Page 202.  ISBN   82-990384-1-3.
  5. Gjerseth, Simen (2016). Nye Sandefjord. Liv forlag. Page 314. ISBN   978-82-8330-113-7.
  6. "The history of Jotun". Jotun paints international.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. "Our history". jotun.com. Jotun official website. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  8. Jotun Coating and Inspection Manual, marine coatings. Jotun international.
  9. Brønnøysund Register Centre. "Company organisation number 923248579" (in Norwegian).
  10. Olstad, Finn (1997). Sandefjords historie B.2: En vanlig småby? Sandefjord kommune. Pages 216-217. ISBN   82-993797-2-5.
  11. Whiteside, R. M., A. Wilson, S. Blackburn, S. E. Hörnig, and C. P. Wilson (2012). Major Companies of Europe 1993/94: Major Companies of Western Europe Outside the European Community. Springer Science & Business Media. Page 117. ISBN   978-94-011-1442-4.
  12. Karsten, Erich (2006). The Coatings Yearbook 2006. Vincentz Network GmbH & Co KG. Page 87. ISBN   978-3-87870-178-1.
  13. Jose, MJ. "The Athletics Stadium and Aquatics Centre Rise in New Clark City". Philippine Tattler. Retrieved 15 November 2019.