AkzoNobel to Invest in New Performance
Coatings Technology Center in China
AkzoNobel is investing more than € 6. 5 million in its Songjiang site near Shanghai to
expand an existing research center by adding a dedicated facility for the company’s
Performance Coatings businesses. Once completed in June 2015, the new development
and application center will add capability and
capacity to serve growing demand throughout Asia for innovative solutions targeted
at the packaging, coil, specialty finishes and
powder coatings markets. The extension will
also double the number of people working in
R&D at Songjiang (to around 200) over the
next couple of years. When fully operational, the new laboratory will be Performance
Coatings’ second largest research and development base after Felling in the UK. “Boosting
our R&D capabilities in Asia means we can
accelerate the development and formulation
of new products tailor-made for the Asian
market,” said Conrad Keijzer, AkzoNobel’s
Executive Committee member responsible for
Performance Coatings. “The expanded R&D
center will therefore play a crucial role in supporting our growth ambitions – for China in
particular –and will provide us with a major
innovation facility located close to our customers in the region.” RD&I Director for
Performance Coatings, Klaas Kruithof, added
that the new center will also drive efficiency
by further consolidating the company’s R&D
footprint. “Expanding the existing facility will
enable ongoing research and development activities for powder coatings to be transferred
from Ningbo,” he explained. “It will also be
capable of accommodating R&D activities
for Decorative Paints and the company’s
Surface Chemistry business.” Strategically
positioned in the greater Shanghai area, the
Songjiang site was recently expanded to create one of AkzoNobel’s biggest resin plants
for performance coatings in the world. In
total, around 300 people are currently employed at the location. With operations spread
across the country, AkzoNobel employs more
than 7,400 people in China, including 500 in
R&D. In 2013, the company generated revenues in China of €1.6 billion, the majority
coming from local demand. CW
Index to Companies
This index gives the starting page for a department or feature with a significant reference to a manufacturer of paint, coatings, adhesives and sealants
Subsidiaries are indexed under their own names.
Axalta ............................................................................................................. 10
BASF Coatings .......................................................................................... 19, 26
California Products ......................................................................................... 10
Flowcrete ........................................................................................................ 10
Hemmelrath .................................................................................................... 10
HMG Paints.................................................................................................... 10
Hempel ........................................................................................................... 28
Henkel ............................................................................................................ 19
Krylon............................................................................................................. 19
NEI Corporation............................................................................................. 19
NOF Metal Coatings....................................................................................... 19
PPG................................................................................................ 10, 19, 24, 28
Shawcor .......................................................................................................... 10
Sherwin-Williams ............................................................................................ 10
Valspar ............................................................................................................ 19
3M ............................................................................................................ 10, 19
“Boosting our R&D capabilities in Asia means we
can accelerate the development and formulation of
new products tailor-made for the Asian market.”
