みなさま、明けましておめでとうございます。本年もどうか倍旧のご愛顧を宜しくお願い申し上げます。新年のご挨拶が遅れているようにお感じでしょうが、香港は新年は旧正月明けから、つまり2月の初旬から新しい年となります。

さて2017年最初のトピックは香港そごうの進捗のご報告です。香港そごうは1985年から現在まで、香港の銅鑼湾という一等地で、香港の流行の最先端情報を発信する百貨店としての役割を担っております。（信じがたいことですが）一日に10万人の人が入場するこの百貨店も、30年を過ぎて外壁改修の時期に差し掛かりました。

そこでオーナーの劉鑾鴻氏も最終確認なさった上で、幾つかの競合会社を制し、関西ペイントのフッ素塗料が採用されるに至りました。採用の理由はやはり日本で一番の技術と信頼であり、2年間のVMU（Visual Mock Up=実地での暴露試験）の結果でも抜群の状態を保った実績が反映されたものです。オーナーのご子息自ら材料のご選定に参加なさり、幾つかのメーカーから品質に秀でた関西ペイント社の材料をお選びになりました。

工事は400日を超える予定で計画され、試行錯誤をしながらも現在までで予定通り順調に進んでおります。一般的に香港ではパネルのフラット仕上げはムラを発生させる危険が非常に高く、実際に小さな試験施工ですら綺麗に仕上げることができない中、我々は2万㎡の物件を美しく塗り替えることに成功しています。これは、世界のリーディング・メーカーとしての使命だと受け取っております。

この物件はアルミパネルの老朽化したビルが多い香港では、改修工事の新しいアプローチとしてエポック・メーキングな物件となること間違いなしですし、実際にこの目立つ物件に使用されていることで、政府・民間からの問い合わせも参っております。

みなさまも香港にお越しの際は、是非とも関西ペイントのフッ素で美しく生まれ変わった新生そごうで、お買い物をエンジョイなされては如何でしょうか？

 

今年も優れた日本の材料で常に新しい市場をエネルギッシュに切り拓いていく所存です。重ねましてみなさまのご支持を宜しくお願い申し上げます。

それでは今年もみなさまにとりまして良い年でありますよう、心から祈念いたしております。

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Happy New Year to all of you and thank you very much for the kind and continuous support granted to us all along. You may find it strange as to why such greeting would come in the beginning of February. It is because according to Chinese customs, lunar festival represents new beginnings. With much enthusiasm, let us get to our first entry for the year of the fire rooster!

The largest department store in Hong Kong and one of the most iconic landmarks - Hong Kong SOGO, had a great urge for a major revamp on its external claddings after having opened for business for more than three decades! With at least 100,000 shoppers being recorded daily at Hong Kong SOGO, a renovation was deemed absolutely necessary in order to retain its high-profile status.

▼ Hong Kong SOGO - major landmark in Hong Kong Island which is constantly packed with locals and foreigners (Internet Photos)

Material selection did not happen overnight, but with heedful and circumspect considerations. An on-site demonstration was carried out and left exposed for two years as performance testing. After a long period of site monitoring, Kansai Paint has finally been selected by Mr. Thomas Lau Luen-hung, the owner of Hong Kong SOGO, for our paint performance was a standout. Owner's Representative Mr. Lau also joined for confirmation site walk to pick up the best material among few material suppliers. It was no contest at all, because we were the only supplier to have passed the VMU with the proposed fluorine coating system after two years.

▼ Owner's Representative (Son of  Major Shareholder Mr. Thomas Lau), the Architect, and the Main Contractor at the VMU inspection, afterwhich our fluorine material was confirmed

▼ Pig cutting ceremony was held before project commencement. Kansai Paint representatives from Japan also attended with Mr. Kakuda

 

Having worked for 400 days in this construction site, we are now approaching the end of the project stage, with more additional work orders assigned to us. Achieving flat finishing on aluminum claddings and having to apply coatings on-site with gondolas are challenging tasks, yet despite so, our operations have been running smoothly still. Although difficult, as the market leader to develop new renovation systems on cladding surfaces, we know well that only we can accomplish and that we must do so.

We are certain that Hong Kong SOGO will be an epoch-making precedent for Kansai Paint, since there are still numerous buildings in Hong Kong awaiting renovation for their external claddings. Since the confirmation of this project, we have already received some enquiries both from the government and major developers about this coating system.

If you have the chance to visit Hong Kong, please indulge yourself in a shopping spree at this shoppers’ paradise, only now refurbished and covered in Kansai Paint!

▼ Hong Kong SOGO project is near completion. Applicators are hard at work!

Again, we sincerely thank you all for the support and collaboration. Wishing you a new year filled with happiness and good fortune. All the best!