Mr. Nitin Laxman Kadam

^{Managing Director, Skora Coatings}

From the humble beginnings of growing up on his father’s farm, Nitin Kadam went on to complete his graduation from Satara and thereafter an MBA from Mumbai University. He then went on to work at several large companies up until 1997. In January of 1998, fuelling his curiosity and passion for the coatings industry, he began manufacturing red oxide primer in his hometown and distributed it himself on a rented bicycle to local fabricators and contractors. Using the skills, he had learnt, he successfully marketed himself in his locality and managed to secure painting contracts for colleges, hospitals, residential buildings, temples and even palaces.

Through his experience of executing painting projects, especially in and around his base of operation like Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani and Lonavala, Nitin realised that no paint lasts beyond a couple of years in such harsh weather conditions. He saw his opportunity here to develop and supply a paint that not only beautifies structures but also waterproofs them against the high rainfall observed in such areas.

The first waterproof paint Nitin developed proved to be affective but as he observed was latex paint which is a film-forming paint technology. He noticed that this film-forming attribute of any latex paint seals the walls surface, trapping any existing moisture inside the wall which then caused multiple dampness related problems. With the help of his wife Hemlata, Nitin began researching the possibility of a paint technology that would waterproof any surface but at the same time allows the surface breathe. This breathing capability would solve the issue of existing moisture within any wall which would then be allowed to escape through the paint in the form of harmless vapour.

After rigorous experimentation, testing and research, in February of 2014 Nitin and Hemlata managed to formulate such a breathing paint from a one-of-a-kind quartz formulation. Excited with the results of the paints breathability and waterproof nature, the duo tested their new quartz paint in Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Ratnagiri and many other places that face high rainfall. The result was evident and the quality of their paint unquestionable.

With the new quartz paint technology, Nitin and Hemlata decided that it was time for the dawn of a smarter paint and adopted the technology across all their existing products and christened the brand as Skora, a name that resonates with the skin like breathing attribute of their new Smart Paint. With the backing of various successful tests from labs across the country, including QUV tests which concluded that his paint would last well beyond 15 years, Nitin decided he could offer India its first ever paint with a Lifetime Guarantee. And so, began the journey of Skora.

Mrs. Hemlata Nitin Kadam

^{Director, Skora Coatings}

Like Nitin, Hemlata too comes from a family of farmers. She pursued her curiosity for chemistry and completed her chemical degree from Satara. By 2000, she joined her husband, Nitin Kadam, in his paint manufacturing business. Dissatisfied with the quality and limited utility of regular acrylic-based paints, Hemlata set out to research a more comprehensive solution for the paint market along with Nitin. Through their experiments and research, the duo finally cracked a formulation in 2014 using quartz technology that they used to develop a paint that can breathe. Hemlata and Nitin then began to test their new found quartz paint on buildings in harsh weather conditions like Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala and Ratnagiri. In all of these conditions, the paint technology not only withstood heavy rainfall but also protected walls from soaking moisture. Using their new quartz paint formulation, Hemlata and Nitin established a new Smart Paint in the form of Skora and began actively manufacturing and distributing their new paint technology across the region. Today, Hemlata confidently overlooks the manufacturing process of Skora paints with her extensive experience and continues to evolve and improve Skora’s quartz paint technology to become better and more efficient.