Inside Sayerlack’s Strategy to Remain Sri Lanka’s Top Wood-Coating Brand

For over two decades, Sayerlack has led Sri Lanka’s wood-coating market, backed by JAT Holdings’ local distribution and Sherwin-Williams’ global research capabilities. The brand’s Italian origins, combined with leading certifications, and continued investment in painter training initiatives, have helped sustain its position, even through periods of economic pressure.

In this conversation with Dilshan Rodrigo, Director of Sales and Marketing at JAT Holdings PLC, the discussion turns to brand equity, painter engagement, certification, and the company’s approach to competing on quality and longevity rather than price alone.

Sayerlack has a long-standing Italian heritage, originating in 1954, and it’s built decades of leadership in Sri Lanka’s wood-coating segment. How has that combination of global heritage and local market experience shaped the brand’s equity here?

Equity is not something a brand is gifted; it is earned over time with consistent delivery of the brand promise, and Sayerlack’s has been built through decades of Sayerlack, Sherwin-Williams, and JAT working in tandem. Founded in Italy, Sayerlack established an R&D centre as early as 1958 and was an early pioneer in water-based wood coatings, producing its first water-based coatings in 1988, a significant feat given how difficult it is to balance wood and water. That innovation continued with pigmented colours, stain-resistant and fire-retardant coatings, and, more recently, matte finishes.

In Sri Lanka, JAT’s role has been to build that global brand equity into a locally relevant market position. When Sayerlack was introduced, access to professional-grade finishing products was more limited, and the category required education at multiple levels, from furniture manufacturers and painters to retailers and homeowners. Over time, JAT helped establish stronger quality benchmarks in the local wood coatings market through technical support, painter training, distribution strength, and sustained consumer education.

On the global side, the Sherwin-Williams acquisition in 2010 was transformative as it expanded the brand’s international reach while deepening the R&D infrastructure behind the brand. 

This combination of international heritage and local commitment has helped Sayerlack support JAT Wood Coatings’ market leadership for over two and a half decades while also being recognised among Sri Lanka’s Top 100 Most Valuable Brands and as SLIM Brand Excellence Best B2B Brand.

In a category where the final finish depends not only on the product but also on correct application, how has JAT built the support ecosystem around Sayerlack, from technical guidance to painter engagement and customer education?

The brand’s promise means little without correct application, and JAT recognised early that a highly technical product needs skilled hands to deliver results. In wood coatings, a premium product alone is not enough. If it is applied incorrectly, the finish can fail, and the consumer is more likely to question the brand than the method of application. This led JAT to position Sayerlack not merely as a coating brand, but as part of a complete finishing system, supported by training, technical guidance and application expertise. In 1998, JAT became the first organisation in the industry to launch structured training programmes for painters. Today, it runs close to 50 sessions a year, each reaching 80–100 painters, and has educated well over 100,000 painters, across the island to date.

With an ageing workforce and limited recognition for painting as a professional craft, fewer young people were being drawn into the field. To address this, JAT partnered with the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) through the JAT Pintharu Abhiman programme to create a structured pathway for painters to obtain NVQ certifications, a globally recognised qualification. To date, 888 painters have received their certifications through this. We have seen one in five certified painters go on to start their own businesses, with many reporting improved lifestyles, insurance cover, and support for their children’s education, building a loyal ecosystem connecting painter, homeowner, and brand.

In Sri Lanka, Sayerlack is the only wood-coating brand with CATAS certification, validating its water-based system under tropical conditions. How does that change the conversation with architects and developers?

CATAS, a European institute, is considered the gold standard for certifying the performance and durability of wood and wood-related products, testing raw materials and finished furniture in depth rather than relying on testimonials. For architects and contractors, who increasingly weigh safety and durability alongside aesthetics, this numbers-based validation carries more weight than technical data sheets or word of mouth. It also addresses a natural question in Sri Lanka: whether a European-developed product can withstand tropical conditions, including monsoon rains, intense UV exposure, and salt spray in coastal and urban environments, all of which accelerate wood decay.

Sayerlack’s 360-degree campaign in 2025 set out to educate consumers and painters on quality over cost, rather than launching a new product. How do you make that case to someone who is buying on price alone?

Sri Lankan consumers remain highly price sensitive, yet Sayerlack has been the corner stone of JAT’s wood coatings portfolio which maintained 57% market share, even through economic crises.. The 2025 campaign focused on the consequences of choosing cheaper alternatives, built around the tagline “the coating without problems.” It highlighted that wood coating in Sri Lanka is typically treated as a lifetime investment rather than something to be redone, and framed quality as protection against having to repaint or repair.

The campaign addressed retailers and painters as well as consumers, since a poor product reflects badly on whoever recommended or applied it. Distribution spanned traditional and digital media, including emerging platforms like TikTok, to reach consumers across all socioeconomic groups.

Sayerlack has supported JAT Wood Coatings to hold market leadership in Sri Lanka for over two decades, even through recession and crisis. What has allowed the brand to remain relevant and trusted while continuing to evolve with market needs?

When Sri Lanka went through its economic crisis, many premium brands lost significant market share. Consumers became more cautious, traders pushed lower-cost alternatives, and supply chain disruptions made consistent product availability a challenge. Sayerlack’s ability to maintain its position during these periods has been rooted in trust built over many years. In difficult markets, customers are often more risk averse, particularly in a category where a poor finish can be costly to redo. That makes long-standing confidence in product performance an important advantage.

The painter ecosystem has also reinforced Sayerlack’s position. Through training, technical engagement and the Pintharu Abhiman programme, JAT has continued investing in the applicators who play a direct role in the customer’s final experience of the brand. That loyalty and confidence often influence recommendations at the point of application, where brand choice is strongly shaped.

Market leadership is not a position a brand simply defends. It’s a position it has to continuously re-earn. For 30 years, Sayerlack has earned that position through science, service, and the trust of homeowners, architects, carpenters, and painters who put their own reputation behind the finish. That trust has been sustained through consistent delivery on durability, safety, and finish quality. That foundation has allowed the brand to remain resilient through competition and changing market conditions.

For Sayerlack, the next chapter is about protecting that trust while continuing to adapt to how the market, the craft, and the customer are changing.