Birla Opus: How a New Brand Changed the Rules in Decorative Paints

The world of decorative paints in India was saturated with established, legacy players in the market for decades.  In this crowded market, Birla Opus Paints entered in 2024 with a mission to disrupt the status quo and bring colour back into the market, both with its offerings and its story.

Earlier this year, Birla Opus achieved what typically takes years in India’s decorative paints market. By the end of FY25, the brand had already reached a high single-digit market share in decorative paints (as per internal estimates) and emerged as India’s third-largest decorative paints brand. Birla Opus has built a complete decorative portfolio of 179+ products and more than 1,450 SKUs, covering interiors, exteriors, waterproofing, enamels, wood finishes, wallpapers, and institutional paints.

This rapid adoption reflects a deliberate approach that combines operational precision, advanced technology, a well-nurtured human ecosystem, and consumer-centric brand building. Birla Opus’ strategy demonstrates how a new entrant can achieve meaningful scale in a mature, competitive market.
 

Differentiator 1: Preparation and Manufacturing Excellence

Birla Opus invested years in preparation before its launch. A purpose-built laboratory staffed with over 120 scientists developed high-performance paints, rigorously tested across 13 cities under varied climatic conditions. Products were trialed with more than 500 contractors and painters to ensure durability, cleanability, and superior performance.

Parallel to product development, the company recruited a national sales force two years in advance. Teams visited every paint dealer, geotagged stores, and assessed local demand. By the time operations went live, Birla Opus had the kind of market insight usually gained only after several years in the field.

The manufacturing network reflects this planning. Five state-of-the-art plants in Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra already deliver a combined capacity of 1,096 million litres annually. With the launch of the sixth plant in West Bengal on the 9th October, the 1,332 MLPA capacity vision of the Group has become a reality. Industry 4.0 automation, IoT-driven processes, and robotic systems ensure consistent quality, while environmentally conscious practices such as zero-liquid discharge systems and water recycling underline sustainable operations.

Post Kharagpur plant launch, Birla Opus’ capacity share of 24% in the sector would provide it the pathway to travel from existing high single digit revenue market share to penultimate levels of capacity share. Importantly, Birla Opus is amongst the few players in India with fully backward integrated plants producing its own emulsions and resin products.
 

Differentiator 2: Technology and Consumer Engagement

Technology supports both production and consumer interaction. The meticulous planning by Birla Opus can be experienced in nuanced innovations implemented across the customer journey.

For instance, tinting machines in the paint industry are the last mile linkage as the shade preparation happens at the dealer shop. The final production of 2300+ shades from 5-6 product bases is done through these tinting machine. Hence, tinting machines are essential for a dealer so as to sell the perfect shade imagined by the customer. At the same time, in India, most retailers (especially in the Tier 2 and 3 markets) have smaller stores.  Birla Opus came up with a novel tinting machine that has 40% less footprint as compared to the tinting machines available in the market, so the space consumed at the retail store reduces significantly. This was a win-win for dealers and provides dealers additional inventory space.

All of this is backed by Birla Opus Paints’ state-of-the-art R&D centre, which is the second-largest paints R&D facility in India, staffed by 100+ scientists and equipped with 14 specialised labs and its own pilot plant.

Apart from this, the digital infrastructure with Birla Opus tinting machine is expansive in nature which helps in getting all the information centrally to assess which product combinations sell in which markets which enables the brand in better planning. From a buyer’s perspective, Birla Opus paint cans feature QR codes for end-to-end traceability, ensuring authenticity and quality.

On the consumer side, AI-powered visualisation tools allow homeowners to preview colours and finishes digitally before purchase. Even infrequent painting projects become engaging experiences, while contractors and dealers gain access to digital tools that help maintain quality and efficiency. This technology ecosystem, rarely seen in the industry, has enabled Birla Opus to provide reliability and convenience across its entire network.

Another differentiator is the latest initiative called the ‘Opus Assurance’, which gives consumers the assurance that Birla Opus Paints will re-paint their house for free if there’s any damage within the first year. This is applicable across its decorative paints portfolio, something that competitors do not offer.     
 

Differentiator 3: The Human Ecosystem

Paint is both a product and a service, with dealers, painters, contractors, and architects forming a collaborative ecosystem. Birla Opus invested in these relationships through training, support, and structured incentives, ensuring that every contractor delivers work that reflects the brand’s standards.

This focus on human engagement has been a critical enabler of rapid adoption. Contractors act as brand ambassadors, while dealers leverage their networks and personal relationships to build trust. By understanding the dynamics of this ecosystem, Birla Opus ensures that consumer experiences are consistently positive, reinforcing confidence in the brand.
 

Differentiator 4: Brand-Building and Assurance

Marketing and consumer engagement go beyond conventional campaigns. Launch efforts included high-quality animated films, designed to capture attention and create emotional engagement. Follow-up campaigns, such as ‘Naye Zamane Ka Naya Paint,’ combined humour and creativity to highlight product advantages, distinguishing Birla Opus in a category where competitors often follow similar messaging.

Experiential retail spaces extend this approach. Paint Studios in major cities provide immersive showrooms where consumers can explore finishes, textures, and colours, while franchised Paint Galleries in smaller towns expand reach and accessibility.

The ‘Birla Opus Assurance’ initiative adds another layer of confidence. This one-year free re-painting guarantee across all weather conditions reinforces the brand’s commitment to quality and reliability. Celebrities Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna amplify the campaign’s visibility, while media activations across TV, digital, and regional platforms ensure consistent messaging and engagement.
 

Leveraging Scale and Legacy

Aditya Birla Group’s industrial expertise underpins Birla Opus’ ability to combine speed with scale. Taking a notch higher, Birla Opus offered dealers with an exciting proposition to earn an attractive margin. For simplifying lives of its dealers, Birla Opus has also created an expansive infrastructure to enable the dealer partners to experience world class services through Dealer Management System (DMS). The paints brand also offers a democratised loyalty program known as ‘Signature Club’ inviting all performing dealers to join the Birla Opus network. To achieve this, the front-end sales team has been in close contact with over 100,000 decorative paints and allied industry dealers, across metro cities, large towns and even in mid and small towns to become part of the fast-expanding Birla Opus distribution network.

In less than 12 months, Birla Opus Paints has established one of the strongest distribution networks in the category. The brand has expanded its pan-India reach to over 8,000 towns, backed by 137 depots, which makes it the second-largest depot network in the industry.

The company also leverages experience from adjacent businesses, such as UltraTech Cement and Birla White Putty, to engage dealers efficiently and ensure seamless product availability. In fact, the company achieved its target of being present in all Indian cities with a population of over one lakh by June 2025 itself, a month ahead of the planned schedule. The integration with Birla White Putty also gives Birla Opus Paints access to a wide distribution network and strong credibility with dealers and contractors. Together, the two already account for over 10% revenue market share.

This operational and industrial foundation, combined with a carefully nurtured human and technology ecosystem, positions Birla Opus on course to pursue its ambitious target of ₹10,000 crore in revenue within three years. It exemplifies how large-scale industrial capabilities can support a consumer-focused brand effectively
 

Moulding the Market

India’s per capita paint consumption is still below global averages, and growth is expected with rising incomes and urbanisation. Birla Opus’ differentiated approach of combining preparation, technology, human ecosystem, and brand-building, has prepared the company not only to participate in this growth but also to influence market standards.

Birla Opus’ journey demonstrates that even entrenched industries can be approached differently when strategy, technology, and human engagement converge. The new brand illustrates how operational scale, technological sophistication, and consumer trust can be aligned to establish a strong and sustainable presence, setting a model for new entrants in mature markets.