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17 line items in process order, each with its tag, specification, quantity, power and an indicative unit price.
1 t platform + 30 kg bench · 0.1 % accuracy · batch-card printer
Weigh every powder, binder and additive against the batch card before charging.
1,000 L/h · softener + RO · 10 m³ storage tank
Makes low-hardness process water so dispersants and thickeners perform consistently.
15 kW cooling · 10–15 °C glycol loop · bead-mill & HSD jackets
Removes grinding heat so the mill base stays below 40 °C and the binder is not damaged.
2.4 m³/min at 8 bar · refrigerated dryer · 500 L receiver
Supplies dry air to the fillers, lid presses, diaphragm pumps and HSD lifts.
High-pressure washer · 3 × 2,000 L settling tanks · transfer pump
Cleans tanks with minimal water and holds the wash water for reuse in the next compatible batch.
Bag-dump hood · cartridge filter · 3,000 m³/h extraction
Captures titanium dioxide and extender dust at the point where bags are emptied.
37 kW · 0–1,450 rpm VFD · hydraulic lift · 3,000 L SS vessel
Wets and disperses pigments and extenders into water and dispersant to form the mill base.
30 L chamber · zirconia beads · 300–600 L/h · cooling jacket
Grinds the mill base for silk finishes and primers to a Hegman reading of 7 or finer.
5,000 L · SS304 · low-speed anchor agitator · load cells
Blend the mill base with binder emulsion, coalescent, thickener, defoamer and biocide.
16 colourant canisters · 0.08 ml resolution · colour-formula software
Doses universal colourants accurately to match shade cards and customer colours.
KU viscometer · density cup · pH meter · Hegman gauge · drawdowns · spectro
Tests viscosity, density, pH, fineness, opacity and colour before every batch is released.
600 mm vibro-sieve · 100–200 µm bag filter housings
Removes skins, bits and undispersed agglomerates before paint reaches the filler.
1½" · up to 300 L/min · PP/SS body · air driven
Transfer thick paint between tanks, strainers and fillers without shearing it.
1–20 L · net-weight check ± 0.5 % · 300 cans/h (1–4 L) · 80 pails/h
Fills tins and pails by weight with a drip-free nozzle for thick emulsions.
1 L–20 L change parts · tin lids & plastic pail lids
Seats lids evenly so packs are leak-proof and tamper-evident.
Semi-auto wrap labeller · CIJ coder · batch & expiry codes
Labels each pack and prints the batch number that links it back to the QC record.
1.5 t electric forklift · 2 hand pallet jacks · charger
Moves raw-material pallets in and palletised finished goods out to trucks.
Indicative ex-works prices (US$, 2026) for budgeting a sample project, not quotations. Photos are illustrative of each machine class.
12 unit operations in order, with the equipment that performs each and its control point.
| Step | Operation | Equipment | Control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Raw material receiving & weighingTiO₂, calcium carbonate, kaolin, binder, additives and colourants are checked in and weighed to the batch card. | WS-101 Platform & Bench Weighing Scales |
CoA check · weights ± 0.5 % |
| 02 | Process water treatmentBorehole or mains water is softened and passed through RO before it is metered into the batch. | WT-201 Softener & RO Process Water Unit |
Hardness < 50 ppm · conductivity log |
| 03 | Pigment dispersion (HSD)Water, dispersant and wetting agent are charged, then pigments and extenders are added at high speed to form the mill base.Powder dust → collector | PC-301 Powder Charging Station & Dust CollectorHSD-302 High-Speed Disperser (HSD)CH-202 Process Water Chiller |
Hegman ≥ 5 · mill base ≤ 40 °C |
| 04 | Bead-mill grinding (silk & primers)Mill base for silk emulsions and primers is passed through the bead mill for a finer grind. | BM-303 Horizontal Bead Mill |
Hegman ≥ 7 · outlet ≤ 40 °C |
| 05 | Let-down & stabilisingMill base is let down with binder emulsion, coalescent, thickener, defoamer and biocide under slow agitation. | LT-401 Let-Down Tanks with AgitatorsTP-502 Air-Operated Diaphragm Pumps |
Addition order per batch card |
| 06 | Tinting & colour matchingColourants are dosed from the dispenser and the shade is adjusted until it matches the standard. | TM-402 Automatic Tinting Dispenser |
ΔE ≤ 1.0 vs standard |
| 07 | Batch QC & approvalThe lab checks viscosity, density, pH, fineness, drawdown opacity and colour before approving the batch.Off-spec → re-work | QC-403 QC Laboratory & Spectrophotometer |
KU 95–110 · pH 8.5–9.5 · opacity ≥ 95 % |
| 08 | Straining & filteringApproved paint is pumped through the vibrating sieve and bag filters into the filler header tank. | FS-501 Vibrating Sieve & Bag Filter SetTP-502 Air-Operated Diaphragm Pumps |
No bits or skins on the 150 µm screen |
| 09 | Filling 1 L, 4 L & 20 L packsTins and pails are filled by net weight on the semi-automatic fillers. | FM-503 Semi-Auto Piston/Weigh Filler |
Net fill ± 0.5 % · check-weigh 1 in 20 |
| 10 | Lid pressing, labelling & codingLids are pressed on, packs are labelled and every pack gets a batch and expiry code. | LP-504 Pneumatic Lid Press & Pail SealerLB-505 Pail Labeller & Inkjet Batch Coder |
Lid seated · code legible and matches batch |
| 11 | Palletise, store & dispatchPacks are palletised, stretch-wrapped and held in the finished-goods store until dispatch. | FL-601 Electric Forklift & Pallet Jacks |
FIFO by batch · max 4 pails high |
| 12 | Tank wash & water recoveryTanks are washed with a high-pressure lance; wash water is settled and reused in the next primer or white batch.Wash water → next batch | WW-204 Tank Wash & Wash-Water RecoveryAC-203 Screw Air Compressor & Dryer |
Reuse only in compatible, lighter batches |
6 zones arranged for one-way material flow, with every item of equipment placed by tag.
No solvent tanks, no flammable-liquid store and paints that meet ≤ 30 g/L VOC for interior walls.
Only certified lead-free pigments and additives are used; every batch is traceable to its raw materials.
A bag-dump hood and cartridge collector keep TiO₂ and extender dust out of the air.
HSD alone for matt emulsions; bead mill added for silks and primers that need a finer grind.
An automatic tinting dispenser and spectrophotometer match colours to ΔE ≤ 1.
Tank wash water is settled and returned to the next compatible batch instead of going to drain.
The core routines operators follow, from start-up to batch release.
7 sections: open any one to read it, or download the whole document.
Rangi Bora Coatings Ltd is a water-based decorative paint manufacturer located in Ruiru, Kiambu County, on the Thika Superhighway corridor that serves Nairobi's hardware wholesalers and the fast-growing satellite towns of Kiambu and Machakos. The plant produces vinyl and acrylic matt and silk emulsions, primers and sealers, and textured exterior coatings, packed in 1 L and 4 L tins and 20 L pails. It runs a single shift on two high-speed dispersers, a bead mill for fine finishes and two 5,000-litre let-down tanks, and targets the value-to-mid price segment where contractors, landlords and Affordable Housing Programme builders buy on price per square metre.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Product Lines | 4 (matt emulsion, silk emulsion, primers/sealers, textured coatings) |
| Daily Production | 8,000–10,000 litres (single shift) |
| Pack Sizes | 1 L, 4 L and 20 L |
| Initial Investment | KES 45,000,000 (~$346,000) |
| Year 1 Revenue | KES 230,000,000 (~$1.77M) |
| Operating Break-even | Month 9 |
| Payback Period | ~2 years |
| Employees | 40 (Year 1), 52 (Year 3) |
| Product | Use | Pack Sizes | Ex-factory Price (KES/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl matt emulsion | Interior walls and ceilings, contractor repaints | 4 L, 20 L | 210–230 |
| Acrylic silk emulsion | Washable interior walls, kitchens, corridors | 1 L, 4 L, 20 L | 320–360 |
| Primer / sealer | New plaster and gypsum, alkali-resistant base coat | 4 L, 20 L | 160–180 |
| Textured exterior coating | Weather-resistant exterior walls | 20 L | 240–280 |
| Ingredient | % by Weight | Quantity | Cost/kg (KES) | Total (KES) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process water (softened/RO) | 31.2% | 452.4 kg | 0.5 | 226 |
| HEC thickener | 0.4% | 5.8 kg | 1,100 | 6,380 |
| Dispersant (sodium polyacrylate) | 0.5% | 7.3 kg | 450 | 3,263 |
| Wetting agent | 0.2% | 2.9 kg | 500 | 1,450 |
| Defoamer | 0.3% | 4.4 kg | 650 | 2,828 |
| pH adjuster (AMP / ammonia) | 0.1% | 1.5 kg | 700 | 1,015 |
| Titanium dioxide (rutile) | 6.5% | 94.3 kg | 480 | 45,240 |
| Calcined kaolin | 5.0% | 72.5 kg | 110 | 7,975 |
| Calcium carbonate (fine GCC) | 38.0% | 551.0 kg | 26 | 14,326 |
| Talc | 3.0% | 43.5 kg | 70 | 3,045 |
| Vinyl-acrylic binder emulsion (50% solids) | 14.0% | 203.0 kg | 220 | 44,660 |
| Coalescent | 0.6% | 8.7 kg | 650 | 5,655 |
| In-can biocide | 0.2% | 2.9 kg | 900 | 2,610 |
| Total per 1,000 L | 100% | 1,450 kg | 138,673 | |
| Raw material cost per litre | ≈ 139 |
Silk emulsions use more binder (about 25%) and TiO₂ (about 18%) with less calcium carbonate, which roughly doubles the raw material cost per litre; primers cut TiO₂ to 2–3% and rely on extenders. Tinted colours add KES 5–40 per litre in colourant depending on depth of shade.
| Stage | Process | Purpose | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Receiving & Weighing | Check certificates, weigh to batch card | 1 t platform + 30 kg bench scales |
| 2 | Water Treatment | Low-hardness process water | Softener + RO (1,000 L/h) |
| 3 | Dispersion | Wet and disperse pigments and extenders into the mill base | 2 × 37 kW HSD, 3,000 L vessels, dust-extracted charging hood |
| 4 | Bead Milling (optional) | Finer grind for silks and primers | 30 L horizontal bead mill, chilled jacket |
| 5 | Let-down | Add binder, coalescent, thickener, defoamer, biocide | 2 × 5,000 L agitated tanks on load cells |
| 6 | Tinting | Match shade to standard | 16-canister tinting dispenser + spectrophotometer |
| 7 | QC Approval | Viscosity, density, pH, fineness, opacity, colour | QC laboratory |
| 8 | Straining | Remove bits and skins | Vibrating sieve + 150 µm bag filters |
| 9 | Filling | Fill 1 L, 4 L and 20 L packs by weight | 2 semi-auto piston/weigh fillers |
| 10 | Sealing & Coding | Leak-proof lids, labels, batch codes | Pneumatic lid presses, labeller, inkjet coder |
| 11 | Store & Dispatch | Palletise and ship FIFO by batch | Electric forklift, 300 m² finished-goods store |
| Requirement | Authority | Timeline | Cost (KES) |
|---|---|---|---|
| KEBS Standardization Mark (KS emulsion paint specifications) | Kenya Bureau of Standards | 3–6 months | 250,000 |
| Lead-free compliance (90 ppm total lead limit) | KEBS / Ministry of Health | Every raw material lot | Included in QC |
| EIA Licence + waste handling plan | NEMA | 3–4 months | 350,000 |
| Workplace Registration & pressure-vessel inspection | DOSH | 1–2 months | 60,000 |
| Fire Safety Certificate | County Fire Department | 1 month | 40,000 |
| Single Business Permit | Kiambu County | Annual | 60,000 |
| EAC Quality Mark (export to Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda) | EAC partner bureaus | Year 2 | 150,000 |
| Parameter | Method | Vinyl Matt Spec | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viscosity | Stormer KU (ASTM D562) | 95–110 KU | Every batch |
| Density | Density cup (ISO 2811) | 1.42–1.48 g/ml | Every batch |
| pH | pH meter | 8.5–9.5 | Every batch |
| Fineness of grind | Hegman gauge (ISO 1524) | ≥ 5 matt · ≥ 7 silk | Every batch |
| Opacity (contrast ratio) | Drawdown (ISO 6504-3) | ≥ 95% | Every batch |
| Colour | Spectrophotometer vs master | ΔE ≤ 1.0 | Every batch |
| Wet scrub resistance | ISO 11998 | Class 3 or better | Monthly per product |
| Total lead | ISO 6503 (external lab) | ≤ 90 ppm | New supplier + quarterly |
| In-can stability | Oven storage, 14 days at 50 °C | No settling, gassing or odour | New formulation |
| Item | KES | ~US$ |
|---|---|---|
| Process equipment (ex-works, 17 items) | 24,700,000 | 190,000 |
| Freight, duty, installation & electrical | 5,500,000 | 42,000 |
| Factory fit-out (leased 1,100 m² godown, epoxy floors, bunding, ducting) | 5,000,000 | 38,000 |
| Licences, KEBS/NEMA, trial batches & pre-operating | 1,800,000 | 14,000 |
| Initial working capital (raw material & packaging stock) | 8,000,000 | 62,000 |
| Total | 45,000,000 | 346,000 |
A KES 20 million invoice-discounting facility covers credit extended to hardware wholesalers and contractors.
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume sold (litres) | 1,000,000 | 1,600,000 | 2,200,000 |
| Average ex-factory price (KES/L) | 230 | 232 | 235 |
| Revenue | 230,000,000 | 371,200,000 | 517,000,000 |
| Raw materials & packaging | 155,000,000 | 246,400,000 | 336,600,000 |
| Labour | 24,000,000 | 28,000,000 | 33,000,000 |
| Distribution & marketing | 23,000,000 | 35,000,000 | 46,000,000 |
| Rent, power & overheads | 15,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 19,000,000 |
| Depreciation | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 |
| Profit before tax | 9,500,000 | 41,300,000 | 78,900,000 |
| Net profit (after 30% tax) | 6,650,000 | 28,910,000 | 55,230,000 |
| Net margin | 2.9% | 7.8% | 10.7% |
| Approx. US$ net profit | $51,000 | $222,000 | $425,000 |
| Cost Element | KES/L | ~US$/L |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials (formulation above) | 139 | 1.07 |
| Packaging (pail, lid, label ≈ KES 260 per 20 L) | 13 | 0.10 |
| Direct labour | 8 | 0.06 |
| Power, water & consumables | 4 | 0.03 |
| Overheads, distribution & marketing | 34 | 0.26 |
| Total cost | 198 | 1.52 |
| Ex-factory price (KES 4,600 per 20 L) | 230 | 1.77 |
| Margin per litre | 32 | 0.25 |
Monthly fixed costs (labour, rent, overheads and base marketing) are about KES 5.2 million. At a blended contribution of about KES 60 per litre after materials, packaging and variable distribution, break-even is roughly 87,000 litres a month, or about 3,600 litres a day. Sales pass that level in Month 9 as distributor listings build, and the cumulative cash flow repays the KES 45 million investment early in Year 3, a payback of about two years.
| Segment | Players | Price Position | Rangi Bora Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium brands | Established national and multinational paint makers | High | Do not compete head-on |
| Mid-market | Regional and second-tier Kenyan brands | Medium | Match quality, beat on service and delivery |
| Value / informal | Small unbranded makers | Low | Beat on consistency, opacity and KEBS mark |
| Channel | Share of Volume (Year 3) | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware wholesalers & retailers (Nairobi, Kiambu, Mt Kenya) | 45% | Cash or 30-day credit |
| Building contractors & developers | 30% | 30–60 day credit, project pricing |
| Institutions (schools, hospitals, county governments) | 15% | Tender, 60–90 days |
| Export (Uganda, Tanzania) | 10% | Letter of credit or prepayment |
| Phase | Months | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Setup & Approvals | 1–2 | Company registration, lease Ruiru godown, NEMA EIA, KEBS pre-application |
| Equipment Procurement | 2–4 | Order HSDs, bead mill, tanks and fillers (10–14 weeks ex-works); factory fit-out and electrical supply |
| Installation | 4–5 | Install and commission equipment, dust extraction and wash-water tanks; staff training |
| Trial Production | 5–6 | Formulation trials, stability testing, KEBS sampling and S-mark |
| Market Launch | 6–7 | Distributor listings, contractor trials, shade cards and point-of-sale material |
| Scale-up | 7–18 | Move toward 8,000 L/day, add retailer tinting points, apply for the EAC mark |
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Titanium dioxide and binder price swings | High | Quarterly price reviews, 60-day buffer stock, TiO₂-optimised formulations using calcined kaolin |
| Shilling depreciation on imported inputs | Medium | Local calcium carbonate and kaolin (about 60% of batch weight); forward-buying for large orders |
| Trade credit and bad debts | High | Credit limits per customer, invoice discounting, cash terms for new accounts |
| In-can spoilage or complaints | Medium | Biocide dosing, retained samples, 14-day stability test on every new formula |
| Price competition from informal makers | Medium | KEBS mark, opacity claims backed by tests, contractor coverage guarantees |
| Power outages | Low | Batch process tolerates stoppages; 100 kVA generator covers QC, filling and lighting |
Equipment specifications, process flow diagrams, recipes and the business plan, bundled as one download.
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