AkzoNobel announced plans to optimize the
manufacturing footprint of its Coil Coatings
sites in Europe and Russia by concentrating
production at three strategic sites.
The company intends to improve operational performance by focusing all
European manufacturing for the Coil
Coatings business on plants in Malmö
(Sweden), Lipetsk (Russia) and Hilden
(Germany). As a result of these plans,
production at sites in Gamleby (Sweden)
and Nürnberg (Germany) would end by
June 2015.
“By focusing production on strategic sites
that are close to our customers and manufacture products for more than one business, we will create a more efficient footprint
and establish a more sustainable platform
for future growth,” said Conrad Keijzer,
AkzoNobel’s executive committee member
responsible for Performance Coatings.
The transfer is scheduled to start
in early 2014. Current manufacturing
at Gamleby will move to Malmö and
Lipetsk, while production at Nürnberg
will switch to Hilden.
Approximately 280 employees will
be affected, with the company planning
to transfer and hire additional people in
Hilden, Malmö and Lipetsk. A centralized European development center will
also be set up in Malmö.
“Operational excellence is a key prior-
ity and moving production to three strate-
gic sites is a logical step which will ensure
that we are better positioned to deliver
leading performance and accelerate prof-
itable growth,” added AB Ghosh, man-
aging director of AkzoNobel Industrial
Coatings. “These improvements in our
supply chain will also enable us to re-
spond even faster to our customers.”
AkzoNobel is a global leader in coil
coating, which is a continuous and highly
automated process for coating metal be-
fore fabrication. The products are mainly
used for building components and infra-
structure, as well as for consumer goods
such as kitchen appliances.
Employees have been informed about
the company’s plans and discussions
with the relevant works councils are already underway.
Valspar Foundation and
NDSU Announce Coatings
Scholarships and Student
Research Program
The Valspar Corporation and North
Dakota State University (NDSU) have
announced two new scholarship programs to provide opportunities for
students studying coatings and polymeric materials at NDSU. The Valspar
Foundation will contribute $20,000 to
support up to five graduate student scholarships and a new program for Summer
Undergraduate Research Experience
(SURE). The scholarship program is
administered through the Department
of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at
NDSU and coordinated through NDSU’s
Development Foundation.
A selection committee consisting of
NDSU professors and Valspar’s technical leaders recently announced the first
Valspar Graduate Scholars Program
awards to Olena Kudina, Lviv, Ukraine;
Casey Orgon, Bemidji, Minnesota, U.S.;
Adlina Paramarta, Java, Indonesia;
Andriy Popadyuk, Lviv, Ukraine; and
Alison Rohly, Lino Lakes, Minnesota,
U.S. Each graduate student will receive
$3,000, supporting the students’ studies
at NDSU’s Department of Coatings and
Polymeric Materials for the 2014 academic year.
“These scholarships will further our
relationship and build our pipeline of
talent by supporting students to develop
insights into fundamental performance
drivers of coatings and polymers and pro-
vide them an experience associated with
an industrial environment,” said Cynthia
Arnold, senior vice president and chief
technology officer of Valspar. “Valspar
and NDSU have a long history of techni-
cal collaboration. We recognize their deep
technical expertise in many disciplines as-
sociated with coatings research.”
“We appreciate Valspar’s generous
support and commitment to promote
applied science and education in the
fields of coatings and polymers,” said
Dean Webster, chair of the Department
of Coatings and Polymeric Materials
at NDSU. “Their contribution and en-
gagement will allow us to provide more
academic and career development oppor-
tunities for outstanding undergraduate
and graduate students. It is planned that
the scholars will visit Valspar during the
spring semester to discuss their research
projects and to find out more about
Valspar and the coatings industry.”
Many of Sherwin-Williams
Coating Solutions Meet
LEED v4 Green Building
Standards
The LEED rating system recently experienced a significant overhaul. Specifiers
and applicators are looking for coatings
that meet the new LEED v4 requirements
while delivering optimal performance.
Sherwin-Williams manufactures coatings that meet the most stringent volatile
organic compound (VOC) regulations
while offering benefits such as excellent
washability, maximum hide in fewer
coats and even improved indoor air quality, according to the company.
Sherwin-Williams offers dozens of products that have achieved GREENGUARD
Gold* certification which will satisfy
LEED v4 while meeting performance, aesthetic and budget requirements. Sherwin-Williams products that have achieved
GREENGUARD Gold certification include Emerald, Harmony, ProMar 200
Zero VOC and ProMar 400 Zero VOC
interior paints; specialty coatings such
as Loxon Acrylic Conditioner, Dry Erase
Coating and Tuff Wall Texture Finish;
primers including PrepRite ProBlock and
Multi-Purpose Latex Primer; several high
performance coatings in the Pro Industrial
AkzoNobel to Optimize Coil Coatings
Activities in Europe and Russia
