What Protec does

Protec Pty Ltd is an Australian manufacturer of commercial paint and coating products, founded in 1978 in Adelaide and operating today from a 4-hectare purpose-built manufacturing plant in Gillman, South Australia. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PPG Industries, acquired in September 2006, and operates as a standalone regional brand with access to PPG's global R&D resources. Its product portfolio is anchored in automotive refinish paint systems — including the Paraglaze range, the locally developed Paraglaze Tinter System (29,000+ colour formulations), the MaxMeyer/AQUAMAX Extra waterborne basecoat platform, the Carmaster economical range, and the Dulon acrylic lacquer system — alongside the Paraglaze CT commercial transport line, OneChoice aerosol products, and the Startline consumables sub-brand. The company also distributes SATA spray equipment and SEM consumables through its network.

Protec serves automotive collision repair shops, commercial transport operators, light industrial finishers, and canopy manufacturers (e.g., Flexiglass) across Australia and New Zealand, supported by a national field organisation including a National Sales Manager, Business Development Managers, Territory Managers across SA/QLD, Technical Demonstrators, and a National Training Manager. Color management is delivered through the proprietary RapidMatch GO five-angle spectrophotometer and Protec PAINTMANAGER formulation software.

The business model is wholesale and distributor-mediated: products are sold through 84+ distributors across Australia and New Zealand, company-owned Protec Premium Distributor stores, and direct branches in every Australian state, with pricing set at the distributor level rather than published. Protec also runs an export program covering China, the UK, Germany, Italy, the USA, and PNG. Marketing combines trade publications (National Collision Repairer, BodyShop News), the Collision Repair Expo, a digital Paint Perspective magazine, and field-based territory managers and technical demonstrators.

Name

Protec

Legal name

Protec Pty Ltd

Website

https://protec.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Refinish Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive & Transportation Coatings (IMAEAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Protective Coatings (IMAEAHAB)

Keywords

• Automotive refinish coatings
• Commercial paint products
• Waterborne basecoat systems
• Industrial coating solutions
• Spray paint equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Clayton South

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Automotive Refinish Paint Systems: Sale of complete refinish paint systems including basecoats, primers, clearcoats, additives and ancillaries through distributor network and direct branches
2. Consumables: Sale of refinish consumables including abrasives, masking tapes, spray guns, spray overalls, and body fillers under the Startline brand
3. SATA Equipment Distribution: Distribution of SATA spray equipment and accessories including HVLP spray guns, RP spray guns, filters, and disposable cup systems

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Protec manufactures and distributes automotive refinish paint and coating systems — including waterborne and solvent-borne basecoats, primers, clearcoats, tinters, and clearcoats — across Australia and New Zealand. The portfolio also extends to commercial transport paint systems, consumables (abrasives, masking, body fillers), and distributed spray equipment, supported by proprietary colour-matching software and spectrophotometers. Sales are executed exclusively through a two-tier distributor network of company-owned Protec Premium stores and independent Protec Select distributors.

Product overview

Protec offers a comprehensive automotive refinish product portfolio built around multiple interconnected product lines. The core offering consists of the Paraglaze system (including Tinter System, CT for commercial transport, and 64 variants) and MAXMEYER® waterborne technology (AQUAMAX® Extra). These are complemented by the Carmaster economical range and Dulon acrylic lacquer system. OneChoice provides aerosol-based solutions, while Protec® Ancillaries offers supporting additives, cleaners, and primers. The Startline® sub-brand extends into consumables (abrasives, masking, body fillers), distributed in partnership with SATA spray equipment. Colour management is handled through proprietary colour software and RapidMatch™ GO spectrophotometer integration. All products are Australian-developed and manufactured to suit local conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MaxMeyer: Premium automotive refinish brand featuring waterborne basecoat (AQUAMAX Extra), clearcoats, and primers.
• Paraglaze
• Paraglaze CT
• Paraglaze 64
• Startline
• Dulon
• Carmaster
• OneChoice

Products and services

• MAXMEYER® Premium automotive refinish brand from Protec featuring the AQUAMAX Extra waterborne basecoat system plus VOC-compliant clearcoats and high-efficiency primers and clearcoats designed for Australian conditions; targets bodyshops and collision repair operations.
• Paraglaze Core Protec automotive refinish system offering primers, clearcoats and colour products with fast flash-off and easy application and blending, delivering durable finishes meeting global standards for collision repair and refinish bodyshops.
• Paraglaze CT Commercial Transport paint system tuned for heavy vehicles including trucks, buses, coaches, trailers and tankers; combines the Paraglaze Tinter System with CT-specific primers and clearcoat for high productivity solutions across varied substrates.
• Paraglaze 64 Acrylic urethane enamel refinish system replacing the 604 tinter line, providing extra features and benefits for automotive refinish applications.
• OneChoice Aerosol-based product line including structural repair etch primers, epoxy rub thru primers, UV cured primer and cleaners designed for convenience and labour time savings in small spot repairs and bodyshop operations.
• Carmaster Economical Protec refinish solution offering DG colour, clearcoats (speed clearcoat, HS clearcoat, GP clearcoat) and primer fillers, featuring compatible hardeners and reducers across the range for cost-sensitive bodyshops.
• DULON Acrylic Lacquer System Classic acrylic lacquer system developed and manufactured in Australia for motor vehicle repair and refinishing; complete system with primer, basecoat and clearcoat backed by an extensive colour formulation library of more than 29,000 colour matches.
• Startline® Protecs value-for-money consumables brand offering abrasives, masking tapes, spray guns, spray overalls and body fillers with distinctive purple packaging, designed for everyday bodyshop consumable requirements.
• SATA® German-engineered spray guns and equipment distributed by Protec through its Australian and New Zealand distributor network; includes HVLP and RP spray guns, breathing protection, filters and the RPS disposable cup system stocked by Protec Select Distributors.
• SEM Refinish products distributed through the Protec network, designed to reduce repair time, steps and waste, including products for plastic repair and refinishing.
• Protec® Ancillaries Range of supporting Protec ancillary products including additives (flex additive, accelerator), cleaners, fillers and primers (epoxy, etch, plas stik, ultraseal) sold to bodyshops for everyday refinish operations.
• RapidMatch™ GO Spectrophotometer colour identification device sold by Protec that measures colour from five reflective angles to find the best available colour match, compatible with the Paraglaze Tinter System to speed refinish colour matching in bodyshops.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20% paint cost savings reported by bodyshops switching to Protec
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PPG IndustriescoreOthers · 1 September 2006In September 2006, Protec was acquired by PPG Industries - the world's largest manufacturer of transportation coatings. While it remains a standalone brand, Protec now has the backing of one of the world's most successful paint companies. PPG provides access to global R&D network while Protec maintains local development and manufacturing capabilities.
• SATAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProtec distributes SATA spray equipment and accessories throughout its distributor network in Australia and New Zealand. SATA products include HVLP spray guns, RP spray guns, conventional spray guns, breathing protection, filters, and the RPS disposable cup system. Protec Select Distributors stock SATA spray equipment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kansai Paint: Japanese global coatings major with automotive refinish and industrial product lines, operating in adjacent Asia-Pacific geographies with overlapping bodyshop and OEM-adjacent customer segments.
• PPG Industries (parent / global refinish): Protec's parent and the world's largest transportation coatings manufacturer; PPG's own global refinish brands (PPG, Nexa Autocolor) compete in many of the same end-markets, with Protec serving as PPG's ANZ regional brand.
• 3M Automotive Aftermarket: Broad automotive aftermarket supplier offering abrasives, masking, compounds and refinish accessories that overlap with Protec's Startline consumables range, distributed through similar bodyshop channels.

Others

• SEM Products: US-based refinish consumables and specialty coatings brand already distributed by Protec in ANZ; an ecosystem/partner peer whose plastic repair and refinish products complement Protec's paint portfolio.
• SATA (Dan-Am Group): German spray equipment manufacturer whose HVLP/RP spray guns and RPS cup systems are distributed by Protec in ANZ; an equipment-supply ecosystem peer closely tied to Protec's bodyshop customers.

Direct peers

• Axalta Coating Systems: Global automotive refinish coatings major (Cromax, Spies Hecker, Standox brands), competing head-to-head with Protec's Paraglaze and MaxMeyer systems in collision repair shops worldwide.
• Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes: Sherwin-Williams' Automotive Finishes division (incl. AWX, Ultra 7000) competes globally in automotive refinish coatings, with overlapping bodyshop customer base and similar waterborne/solvent-borne product portfolios to Protec.
• AkzoNobel Automotive & Specialty Coatings (Sikkens): Sikkens is AkzoNobel's premium automotive refinish brand offering waterborne basecoats, tinters, and clearcoats in direct competition with Protec's Paraglaze and AQUAMAX Extra product lines.
• BASF Coatings (Glasurit / R-M / Standox): BASF's automotive refinish division markets Glasurit and R-M premium waterborne and solvent-borne refinish systems directly competing with Protec's MaxMeyer AQUAMAX and Paraglaze ranges in bodyshops.
• Nippon Paint Automotive Coatings: Acquired DuluxGroup in 2019, giving Nippon Paint an automotive coatings platform in ANZ; competes in refinish segments adjacent to Protec's and supplies commercial transport and industrial coatings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/protecausnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/protec-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Protec