Rise of Berger Paints: The Journey of Becoming India’s Second Largest Paint Company, From Crisis to Comeback

Rise of Berger Paints: Berger Paints, which had been at the point of collapse in the 1980s under Vijay Mallya’s UV Group, was facing huge financial losses and was judged unsalvageable. The turning point occurred in 1991, when Kuldeep Singh Dhingra and Gurvachan Singh Dhingra, who hailed from a family with four generations of experience in the paint industry, chose to buy the faltering company. With a history that dates back to 1898, when their family opened a small hardware shop in Amritsar, the Dhingra brothers built a thriving business supplying paints to the Soviet Union, with an annual income of Rs 300 crores by the 1980s. They recognized Berger Paints’ potential and took over company operations with a transformational vision.

Making a Strong Comeback 

To recover the company, the Dhingra brothers concentrated on providing high-quality but inexpensive items and employed creative marketing to increase brand recognition. Berger Paints extended its international presence in Russia, Poland, Nepal, and Bangladesh, and cooperated with global leaders such as Japan’s Nippon Paints and Sweden’s Becker to advance technology. Berger Paints’ turnover grew from Rs 90 crores in 1991 to Rs 10,619 crores by 2023, making it India’s second-largest paint firm after Asian Paints. Today, the company is valued at over Rs 68,000 crores, employs over 3,600 people, and has 20 production facilities in India and internationally.