What Damar Industries does

Damar Industries Ltd is a privately held, family-owned New Zealand specialty chemicals, coatings, and aerosols manufacturer headquartered at an 18,600m² purpose-built laboratory and manufacturing hub in Ōwhata, Rotorua, with a secondary manufacturing and distribution facility in Yennora, Sydney. Founded in 1968 as Damar Coatings and owned by Scott and Bev Thomson since 1989, the company employs 200+ people and operates one of the largest aerosol manufacturing capacities in Australasia, supported by onsite tank farms storing more than 600,000 litres of liquid and gas. Damar holds ISO9001:2015, ISO17025:2018, ACVM, Food Grade, and APAS certifications, and maintains Dangerous Goods-compliant infrastructure in both New Zealand and Australia.

The company runs four integrated business verticals. Contract and toll manufacturing services national and global brands across chemical, coating, and aerosol production, including hazardous substance handling. Consumer Products distributes a portfolio of owned sub-brands—REX (spray paints and solvents, exclusively at Bunnings Warehouse in NZ), Ecomist (scenting and hygiene with a franchise network), GloKote (fluorescent marking paint), Andrew Chemicals, Gripset Betta, Colour Lab, Poolstar, Spraywell, Expra, and Sanihero—through Mitre 10, Foodstuffs, and Progressive Enterprises. Industrial Products supplies specialty chemicals and high-performance coatings to agriculture, construction, timber, paper, and infrastructure. Road Safety Systems delivers a comprehensive range including Instacure (UV-curable road marking paint trafficable in approximately 1.5 seconds), Cold Applied Plastic, thermoplastic, anti-skid coatings, raised pavement markers, and primers to road authorities and contractors across Australasia.

Damar monetises through three primary revenue streams: contract manufacturing fees for B2B clients; transactional sales of owned consumer and industrial brands via retail channel partners and direct export; and road safety product sales to specifiers and contractors. Its 5,000+ proprietary formulations, regulatory certifications, capital-intensive compliant facilities, and exclusive retail placements form the basis of its competitive position. Geographic reach spans New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, the UK, the USA, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and Ireland. The senior leadership team includes CEO Chris Bradley, CFO Kevin Elliot, COO Darin Hills, Group Technical Manager David Goddard, and Ecomist Australia General Manager Gary Vandoros.

Name

Damar Industries

Legal name

Damar Industries Ltd

Website

https://damarindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Damar Industries is a family-owned New Zealand and Australian manufacturer of specialty chemicals, coatings, and aerosols, operating four verticals—contract manufacturing, consumer brands (REX, Ecomist, GloKote, Andrew Chemicals), industrial products, and road safety systems—for retail, B2B, and infrastructure customers across Australasia and 10+ export markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemical Manufacturing

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Surfactants & Performance Additives (IMAEABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Paint, refinishing & body shop supplies distribution (coatings, abrasives, tools, consumables) (CRAOANAF), Hard Surface & Multi-Purpose Cleaners (All-purpose, Floor, Bathroom, Kitchen) (CRADAKAG)

Keywords

• Contract chemical manufacturing
• Aerosol filling services
• Road marking paints
• Specialty coatings production
• Industrial chemical formulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotorua

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing: End-to-end manufacturing services for chemicals, coatings, and aerosols. Clients include national and global brands requiring specialised production, hazardous substance handling, and dangerous goods manufacturing capabilities.
2. Consumer Brand Distribution: Distribution of owned consumer brands including GloKote, Rex, Ecomist, Gripset Betta, Expra, Andrew Chemicals, Colour Lab, Poolstar, Spraywell, and Sanihero through retail partners and franchise networks.
3. Road Safety Products: Sale of road marking products, surface treatments, and safety systems to road authorities, roading contractors, and infrastructure developers across New Zealand and internationally.
4. Industrial Products: Specialised industrial chemicals, coatings, and products for agriculture, construction, timber, paper, and infrastructure sectors. Includes solvents, cleaning chemicals, protective coatings, and functional coatings.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Damar Industries manufactures and formulates specialised chemicals, coatings, and aerosols through contract and toll manufacturing services for national and global brands. The company operates four business verticals: Manufacturing Services (end-to-end contract manufacturing including R&D, formulation, hazardous substance handling, and warehousing), Consumer Products (distributed brands Rex, GloKote, Andrew Chemicals, Gripset Betta, Ecomist, Poolstar, Spraywell, Colour Lab, Expra, Sanihero), Industrial Products (specialty chemicals and protective coatings for agriculture, construction, timber, paper, and infrastructure), and Road Safety Systems (road marking paints including UV-curable Instacure, water-based, solvent-based, anti-skid, cold applied plastic, thermoplastic, primers and pavement markers).

Product overview

Damar Industries is a New Zealand and Australia-based manufacturer offering a diversified portfolio of consumer brands, industrial products, and road safety systems. The company operates four distinct business verticals: Manufacturing Services (contract manufacturing of chemicals, coatings, and aerosols), Consumer Products (distributed brands including GloKote, Rex, Ecomist, Gripset Betta, Andrew Chemicals, Colour Lab, Poolstar, Spraywell, Expra, and Sanihero), Industrial Products (specialty chemicals and coatings for agriculture, construction, timber, paper and infrastructure sectors), and Road Safety Systems (road marking products including Instacure, Water-Based Roadmarking Paint, Solvent-Based Roadmarking Paint, Anti-Skid Paints, Cold Applied Plastic, Thermoplastic, Raised Pavement Markers, and supporting solvents/primers). The company also produces Fluoro Animal Marker Paints for agricultural applications. Damar offers end-to-end services from R&D and formulation through to manufacture, packaging, warehousing, and distribution, serving both local businesses and international brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GloKote: Upside-down fluorescent marking paint for construction, civil, landscaping and utilities.
• Rex
• Ecomist
• Gripset Betta
• Expra
• Andrew Chemicals
• Colour Lab
• Poolstar
• Spraywell

Products and services

• Contract Manufacturing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% of aged care residents losing weight gained weight after targeted scenting introduction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Yves Andre (French Perfumist)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994French perfumist who has worked with Ecomist since 1994 developing hundreds of fragrances. Now collaborating on mood-enhancing fragrance blends with scientifically studied scent formulations from France.
• GEAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEA is one of Damar's largest agricultural partners that required development of a sixth colour (pink) for animal marker paint to improve visibility and workflow. This partnership drove Damar's innovation in fluorescent pigment formulations for the entire animal marker paint range.
• Mitre 10keyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail partner distributing consumer brands including waterproofing, coating, and maintenance products.
• FoodstuffskeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor supermarket retailer distributing consumer chemical and maintenance products through their network.
• Progressive EnterpriseskeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail partner distributing consumer brands through their supermarket network.
• Bunnings WarehousekeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive retail distribution partner for REX brand spray paints and solvents in New Zealand.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RPM International: RPM International is a US-based specialty coatings conglomerate owning brands like Rust-Oleum, Tremco, and Stonhard. RPM's aerosol paint and specialty coatings divisions (particularly Rust-Oleum) compete with Damar's REX and GloKote brands globally, and RPM's business model of acquiring niche coating brands parallels Damar's multi-brand portfolio strategy.
• Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams is the world's largest paint and coatings manufacturer, offering architectural paints, industrial coatings, and specialty finishes globally. While Damar operates at a much smaller scale, Sherwin-Williams' industrial and road marking divisions represent potential competitive pressure as they expand into Australasian specialty markets.
• PPG Industries: PPG Industries is a global paints and coatings manufacturer serving automotive, industrial, aerospace, and architectural markets. PPG's industrial coatings and specialty products divisions compete with Damar's industrial chemicals and protective coatings portfolio, particularly in infrastructure and agricultural applications.
• 3M New Zealand: 3M is a diversified global manufacturer with overlapping product categories including adhesives, abrasives, safety products, and specialty chemicals. 3M competes with several of Damar's product lines (safety markings, industrial chemicals, adhesives) and represents a broad incumbent with significant R&D resources.

Direct peers

• Wattyl (Hempel): Wattyl is an Australian industrial and decorative coatings manufacturer (now owned by Hempel) competing directly with Damar's industrial coatings and consumer paint brands. Both companies serve the Australian market with protective coatings, marine finishes, and architectural paints through similar distribution channels.
• Selleys (DuluxGroup): Selleys is an Australasian manufacturer of sealants, adhesives, fillers, and DIY repair products. Selleys competes with Damar's consumer brands including Gripset Betta (waterproofing) and Andrew Chemicals (solvents) in the same hardware retail channels (Bunnings, Mitre 10) across Australia and New Zealand.
• Resene: Resene is a New Zealand-based paint manufacturer with a similar heritage (founded 1946) and product portfolio spanning decorative paints, specialty coatings, and wood finishes. Resene directly competes with Damar in NZ consumer paints and shares similar retail distribution channels and brand-building approaches in the local market.
• DuluxGroup (Nippon Paint Australia): DuluxGroup is the largest paint and coatings manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand, directly competing with Damar across decorative paints, industrial coatings, and specialty products. Both companies serve similar retail channels (Bunnings, Mitre 10) and industrial customers across Australasia, making them the most direct competitive comparison.
• Berger Paints Australia: Berger Paints is an established Australian coatings manufacturer with products spanning decorative paints, woodcare, and specialty finishes. Berger competes directly with Damar in the Australian consumer DIY and trade painting categories through hardware retail channels.

Emerging players

• Aero-Pack Group: Aero-Pack is an Australian contract aerosol manufacturer and filler offering similar services to Damar's contract manufacturing division. Aero-Pack directly competes for contract aerosol manufacturing clients in Australasia, though at a smaller scale than Damars' 600,000L tank farm capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Damar Industries