Bermuda Paint is still making a splash — after notching up a staggering 60 years in the business.

But Richard Moulder, general manager of Bermuda Paint, said: “We have our loyal customers and talented employees to thank for reaching this milestone and look forward to many more years in the industry.”

He added that staff at the company, the only paint manufacturer on the island, still continued to brush up on their skills and use new technology to continuously improve the product.

He said: “Over the years, we have gone from strength to strength, innovating along the way to create products that are specifically designed for Bermuda’s environment.”

Mr Moulder added: “We’ve been trying over the years to expand into other products. One of them is the Bermuda True Roof system, which competes against another product, which is, I believe, imported into the island.”

And the firm also produces a range of paint primers, specially designed for Bermuda’s unique conditions, while original paints, like the ACR and DecraTone latex paints, have been improved over the years and now have 100 per cent acrylic resins to boost durability.

Mr Moulder said special primers were needed “because all our buildings are made with cement and cement and our sand is very alkaline so we have to have an alkaline-resistant primer.”

He added: “A lot of resins were PVA, which is more of a vinyl paint. Vinyl paints don’t breathe in Bermuda so over time we’ve changed all our paints to 100 per cent acrylic.”

It also teamed up in 2003 with two local roofing companies to develop adhesives, fibred cement and coating for the Bermuda True Roof foam-type roofing system, an area where Bermuda Paint has continued as a major player.

The firm was founded in 1957 on Brighton Hill, Devonshire, which is still its home today.

It made its first batch of paint a year later and the company took off.

Bermuda Paint became part of Devonshire Industries in 2001, with all shareholders moved to the new company, which is still listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange.

Mr Moulder said Bermuda Paint, which employs nine people and includes a retail store, benefited from a link-up with a major US company, in which it holds a stake, which helps with technological development.

The US firm also tests Bermuda Paint products against competitors, including mass market products.

Among its employees are Pamela Dawson, who has worked for the company for more than five decades.

Ms Dawson, the firm’s purchasing officer, has since been joined by daughter Amie, with two years at the firm, although she worked at the firm for a period of time earlier.

Mr Moulder said: “Staff are very important. We’ve gone through a lot of changes in the last few years.”

But he added that Bermuda Paint also has its eye on the future.

He explained: “We are more dedicated to getting new people who are willing to get into this trade. Even though we’re a small company, there are avenues like sales, accounting, purchasing and, in time, moving through the ranks to general managers.”

Mr Moulder said that business was “up and down” as new competitors moved into the market.

He added: “We try to be very consistent in our product lines and in our pricing. We’ve tried to reduce our expenses rather than increase our pricing.”

To celebrate the anniversary, the firm is running a special storewide sale and free giveaways this month and in May and June.

Customers get 30 per cent off this month, with 25 per cent and 20 per cent discounts available in May and June respectively.