One of the premiere industrial fire protection coatings companies in the world, Leighs Paints, has become part of The Sherwin-Williams Company. The acquisition was announced July 6, and significantly enhances the product portfolio of the company’s Protective & Marine business. Leighs Paints manufactures a comprehensive line of intumescent Passive Fire Protection products for the hydrocarbon market. Its FIRETEX® brand has been used on more than 400 projects around the world protecting offshore platforms, refineries and chemical plants. “Leighs has a reputation for high quality products and expertise which will complement our current product line, making it possible to offer a comprehensive portfolio to our customers globally,” said Narsi Bodapati, Vice President of Marketing. “The Leighs brand is an established leader in the protective & marine segments with a broad technology offering including intumescent fireproofing products and high performance protective coatings and linings. Our current global capabilities and expertise have just achieved greater depth, with Leighs’ headquarters in Bolton, U.K., serving as our base of operations and manufacturing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”
The FIRETEX technology, consisting of epoxy intumescent coatings, helps achieve the fire resistance ratings necessary for a sound passive fire protection system. It is engineered to achieve this with a lower required film thickness than alternatives, Bodapati said. Intumescent coatings react to fire by rapidly swelling, forming a thick char barrier that protects a steel substrate from structural failure.
With the acquisition, Sherwin-Williams gains a team of structural engineers who specialize in fire science and assist project owners and engineers with specification and compliance in this crucial area – another important asset, according to Bodapati. “Leighs Paints, only a few years older than we are, has the same type of history, culture and customer focus that we have, which makes our companies coming together even more exciting,” he said. The two companies combined have nearly three centuries of experience in coatings innovation. Leighs Paints’ sales and technical support centers are located in the U.K., Canada, India, Germany and United Arab Emirates. Products are currently distributed across 47 countries worldwide.