AkzoNobel is active in the fields of decorative paints, per- formance coatings and specialty chemicals and employs approximately 45,600 people (including its Specialty Chemicals business) in more than 80 countries. Mature Europe comprises
36 percent of the companies revenue, Asia Pacific 27 percent, North
America 17 percent, Latin America 10 percent, emerging Europe 7
percent and other countries 3 percent.
“Although conditions were challenging during the year – with many markets
and regions experiencing varying degrees
of volatility and uncertainty – we made
significant progress towards our vision
of leading market positions delivering
leading performance,” said Ton Büchner, CEO of AkzoNobel. “We are now
a stronger, leaner, more agile company.
We have new operating models in place;
we’ve refined our portfolio; our factory
footprint has been optimized; a continu-
ous improvement culture is being initiated and there’s continued
focus on operational excellence. In addition, our ability to success-
fully commercialize innovation remains strong, we continue to lead
the way in terms of sustainability and our Human Cities initiative
has evolved and continues to grow and thrive. All of this contributed
to our performance, which saw us successfully achieve our 2015
financial targets.”
Decorative Coatings Segment: Full-year operating income in-
creased by 39 percent as a result of the new operating model, lower
costs, reduced restructuring expenses and currency developments.
Revenue was up 3 percent due to favorable currencies offsetting ad-
verse price/mix and volumes. Volumes were down 1 percent overall
for the full-year, with positive developments in Asia offset by Latin
America and Europe.
Protective Coatings Segment: Full-year operating income was up
45 percent, due to performance improvement initiatives, manage-
ment delayering, lower costs, reduced restructuring expenses and
currencies. Revenue was up 7 percent, driven by favorable price/
mix and currencies offsetting lower volumes. Volumes were down
2 percent across the segments, impacted by lower demand in Brazil
and ongoing spending declines in the global oil and gas industry.
AkzoNobel’s pioneering methodology for rewarding ship
owners who use sustainable hull coatings has been named Environmental Leader Product of the Year for 2016. The award
recognizes the introduction of the shipping industry’s first carbon credits methodology, which was developed by the company’s
Marine Coatings business.
“Let’s Colour” Program
“Let’s Colour” is an employee-led community program, which is
based on AkzoNobel’s belief in the transformative power of color.
The company donates paint and organize projects for community
groups, charities and individuals who have the desire and determination to make a difference through color. By revamping gray and
unappealing spaces into bright and colorful environments, AkzoNobel’s goal is to bring happiness to the lives of people everywhere.
As part of AkzoNobel’s Human Cities initiative, the “Let’s
Colour” program highlights the important role color can play in
making cities more vibrant, inspiring and human. In August, for
example, 450 volunteers took part in one of the biggest “Let’s Colour” events ever staged by the company’s Decorative Paints business. Around 20,000 liters of Coral (AkzoNobel’s paint brand in
Brazil) was used to transform more than 300 buildings in Rio de
Janeiro’s famous Santa Marta favela. Education is also a key component of the “Let’s Colour” program. This is achieved through
paint apprenticeships, which combine the desire to bring color to
communities – via schools, hospitals and other public places – with a
commitment to train local people (often from disadvantaged backgrounds) in the skills of painting and decorating.
During 2015, AkzoNobel donated more than 115,000 liters of
paint, worth an estimated €0.5 million. Approximately 1,000 AkzoNobel employees were involved, volunteering more than 8,000
hours of their time to various “Let’s Colour” projects across the
globe. The company also trained 4,250 people in painting and estimate that they positively impacted the lives of around five million
people in 2015.
02AkzoNobel Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.akzonobel.com
PUBLIC COMPANY
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1994
REVENUE: $10.925 billion t (2014: $11.55 billion)
MARKETS SERVED
• Decorative paints
• Marine and protective coatings
• Auto and specialty coatings
• Industrial and powder coatings
KEY EXECUTIVES
Ton Büchner, chairman and CEO; Maëlys Castella, CFO; Ruud
Joosten, executive committee member, Decorative Paints;
Conrad Keijzer, executive committee member, Performance
Coatings; Werner Führmann, executive committee member,
Specialty Chemicals managing directors: Oscar Wezenbeek
(marine coatings); John Wolff (powder coatings); Alberto Slikta
(specialty coatings); AB Ghosh (metal coatings); Mauricio
Bannwart (protective coatings); Simon Parker (vehicles
refinishes); Volkan Goran (wood coatings); Roger Jakeman
(performance coatings); Klaas Kruithof (Performance Coatings
– RD&I director); Jaap Kuiper, Decorative Paints managing
director – LATAM; Lin Lianqi, Decorative Paints managing
director – China and North Asia; Amit Jain, Decorative Paints
managing director - North West Europe; Jan-Piet van Kesteren,
Decorative Paints managing director - Eastern Europe & Africa;
Jeremy Rowe, Decorative Paints managing director - South
East & South Asia, Middle East; David Menko, Decorative
Paints global marketing director; Trudy Schoolenberg,
Decorative Paints global supply chain and R&D director.
Ton Büchner
