Rob Molenaar: The long term continued
growth of the powder coatings market,
with its inherently low ecological footprint, makes this an excellent addition
to our existing portfolio. In addition, key
technological know-how and the market
position with trade coaters in the U.S.
makes this a very nice acquisition.
CW: Is this purchase in any way
designed to offset negative effects felt
by the down economy?
Molenaar: No. Clearly AkzoNobel views
this acquisition as strategic and the
timing of the acquisition was not influenced by the current recession.
CW: What new technologies does this
deal add to AkzoNobel Powder Coatings’
portfolio? What can we expect coming
down the R&D pipeline?
strong environmental profiles.”
Operating powder coating factories
in the U.S., Europe and China, Rohm
& Haas developed several important
new technologies—especially for the
automotive and architectural segments—while the deal will also add
MDF and termoplastic capabilities to
AkzoNobel’s exisiting portfolio.
“Our intention is to move towards a
more dedicated approach, whereby
sites concentrate on specific technologies,” said Rob Molenaar, managing
director of AkzoNobel Powder Coatings.
“These planned manufacturing enhancements and synergies will deliver
improved operational efficiency and
ultimately enable us to better serve our
customers worldwide.”
Powder coatings offer an an attractive alternative to liquid coatings
due to the fact that they are inherently sustainable because they contain no solvents and have application
efficiency levels near 100%.
Coatings World recently spoke with
Mr. Molenaar, about AkzoNobel’s plans
to acquire Dow’s powder coatings
activities as well as the state of the
global powder coatings market.
acquire the powder coatings business
of The Dow Chemical Company. In
addition to capital gain, which further
solidifies Akzo’s role as the world’s
largest producer of powder coatings,
from what other angles does this
acquisition bolster the powder coatings
business? What is the strategy behind
this purchase?
Molenaar: It is a little bit too soon to
comment about specifics in the R&D
pipeline. It is obvious that by combining
the R&D departments and the current
knowledge bases, a great potential exists
to further advance in a number of areas,
for instance wood and plastic.
CW: How would you characterize the state
of the global powder coatings market and
Coatings World: Mr. Molenaar, AkzoNobel recently announced its plans to
Rob Molenaar, managing director of AkzoNobel Powder Coatings, said, “The
continued growth of powder coatings will largely depend upon technology
development facilitating the switch from liquid to powder. Clearly for both
plastic and wood this means curing through a different medium or at lower
temperatures.”
