India, Sept. 18 -- India's paint industry has traditionally depended on imported and externally-sourced chemical inputs to keep its emulsion and decorative paint lines running, leaving margins open to global price swings the companies themselves cannot control. As the sector scales up and competition increases from new, well-capitalised entrants, backward integration into raw materials has become a genuine strategic lever for the bigger players, rather than a nice-to-have. The commissioning of Asian Paints' latest facility is very much in line with that larger movement toward self-reliance.

Shares of Asian Paints Ltd. were trading at Rs. 2,448.80, down 0.23 percent from previous close of Rs. 2,454.00. The stock opened at Rs. 2,455.70, ...