Noru Paint "Discontinues Controversial Paint Sales... No Issues with Quality"

Internal Testing Conducted Amid 'Water Color Plus' Quality Controversy
"No Issues When Used with Water-Based Products"
Additional Investment in Water-Based Coatings After Halting Sales

Noru Paint recently decided to halt the sales of water-based coatings that became controversial following quality tests conducted by the Ministry of Environment.

On the 22nd, Noru Paint announced that it conducted its own tests on the water-based automotive repair coating Water Color Plus at the Technical Training Center of its Poseung Plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province the previous day, and found no quality issues. When using a normal water-based binder and a dedicated thinner, the color difference value was 0.68, indicating no problems with the product’s quality itself.

Noru Paint test specimen. Provided by Noru Paint

Earlier, the Ministry of Environment conducted performance and quality tests on the water-based coating Water Color Plus and reported that color deviations occurred when mixing the water-based binder with the dedicated thinner. Based on the test results, the Ministry recommended suspending sales, stating that Water Color Plus is likely to be used as an oil-based product in the field.

Noru Paint decided to stop sales of the Water Color Plus product after consultations with the Ministry of Environment. In response, the company is accelerating the transition to a new product scheduled for release in the first half of the year and has decided to make additional investments to expand the water-based coating market.

The company also plans to establish a system to strengthen product distribution management. It will introduce a distribution history management system and completely halt the supply of industrial resin products to automotive repair dealerships. Sequential education on water-based products will be conducted within the year for 1,500 employees of dealerships and repair shops nationwide.

Furthermore, Noru Paint will expand the dedicated smart factory automated production line for water-based coatings at the Poseung Plant and invest 3 billion KRW to expand the distribution of water-based color chips and digital color mixing design.

A company official stated, "This decision was made to stabilize the market and strengthen consumer trust," adding, "Through the new product scheduled for release in the first half of the year, we will present a new standard that satisfies both ease of use and environmental friendliness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.