for both powder coatings and
decorative paints.
Located in Qionglai,
Ruud Joosten, executive commit-
tee member responsible for Decorative
Paints at AkzoNobel, said: “China’s
rapid growth in urbanization has meant
an increase in demand for many of our
products and services in the region. This
new site enables us to respond to this
demand and have the expertise on the
ground locally to share our knowledge
with industry stakeholders. We are look-
ing forward to supplying more essential
products to more customers in China
than ever before.”
AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints sales
have grown significantly in Western
China. In 2015, the sales volume in the
region constituted around one quarter
of its overall market revenue in China.
Contributing to the sales growth is the
increasing demand for its re-painting ser-
vices, as well as its eco-friendly products
and product solutions to the region’s real
estate development.
“As the site becomes fully operational,
we will be able to provide greater value for
our customers in the region through our
enhanced geographical coverage and production capacity. Centered in Chengdu,
the site enables us to extend our reach to
southwestern and northwestern regions,
and to provide quality products that are
customized for the needs of local customers, in a timely, efficient way,” said Dr. Lin
Liangqi, president of AkzoNobel China,
and managing director of Decorative
Paints, China and North Asia.
Zhaoxu Hui, mayor of Qionglai,
said: “Western provinces are currently
experiencing urbanization at an unprece-
dented speed. With its specialties in color
and sustainability, AkzoNobel will bring
in great value to this journey helping us
to provide more colorful and livable ur-
ban space.”
AkzoNobel now has four decorative
paints production plants in China. Its
other sites in Guangzhou, Shanghai and
Langfang cover the southern, eastern and
northern regions of the country, respectively. AkzoNobel employs around 7,500
people in China and generated €1.8 billion in locally driven revenues in 2015.
BASF Signs Agreement
to Acquire Automotive
Refinish Coatings Assets
of Guangdong Yinfan
Chemistry
BASF has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of Guangdong Yinfan
Chemistry Co., Ltd. (“Yinfan”) in China.
With this acquisition, BASF will establish
a stronger coatings production footprint
by gaining access to a state-of-the-art automotive refinish coatings plant in China.
It will also enable BASF to broaden its automotive refinish portfolio in Asia Pacific
by adding the Yinfan line of products
to its successful global brands including
Glasurit, R-M, baslac and Norbin.
“The acquisition underlines our
strong commitment to growing our automotive coatings business and further
investing in emerging markets,” said
Markus Kamieth, president of BASF’s
Coatings division. “With this acquisition, we will broaden our portfolio
and gain access to a strong distribution
network, which will strengthen our position in the fast-growing Chinese automotive aftermarket.”
The closing is expected in the second
half of 2016, subject to necessary regulatory, statutory and other approvals. Both
parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction.
H.B. Fuller Company
Agrees to Acquire
Advanced Adhesives
H.B. Fuller Company has announced
that it has signed an agreement to pur-
chase Advanced Adhesives, a provider
of industrial adhesives in Australia and
New Zealand. With fiscal 2015 net rev-
enue of $17 million, this business will be
included in H.B. Fuller’s Asia Pacific op-
erating segment.
Established in 1985, Advanced
Adhesives works closely with customers
in a wide range of industries, including
consumer packaged goods, woodworking and product assembly applications.
The addition of this business will enable
H.B. Fuller to strengthen its industrial
adhesives market position and leverage
a broader technology portfolio in both
Australia and New Zealand.
“With this acquisition, we will ac-
celerate our profitable growth agenda
in Australia and New Zealand,” said
Heather Campe, vice president, Asia
Pacific, H.B. Fuller. “Advanced Adhesives’
manufacturing capabilities and local
market expertise complement our strong
network in China, Malaysia and the
Philippines. This new business also will
enable us to leverage capacity in the re-
gion to better serve our current customers
and access new markets.”
Pending government and regulatory
requirements, the company expects the
acquisition to close by late April 2016.
OLYMPIC Paints and Stains
Unveils New In-store and
Online Color Tools to
Simplify Color Selection
The OLYMPIC Paints and Stains
brand launched its new color center at
Lowe’s store locations across the U.S.
Designed to simplify the selection of
paint colors, the new, curated center is
organized to guide a customer’s color
journey and features three selection
pathways with dedicated interior and
exterior sections. Both inspiring and
easy to navigate, the new color center
offers options for customers to search
by color family, such as red; by project,
such as painting a kitchen; or by life-style, such as creating a room to reflect
a personality or style.
“We know that the best way to help
homeowners select the just-right colors
for their homes is to give them thoughtful
starting points on our display,” said Lia
Gancas, senior brand manager, Olympic,
