Coatings World - March 2017

March 2017 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 37
tomorrow’s scientists, mathematicians
and innovators.”
Premium PPG Paints products, in-
cluding PITT GLAZE WB1, were used
to protect and beautify three classrooms.
Academy Prep students selected a custom
color palette including vibrant colors
such asPPG Paints Minerva (PPG1231-3),
Flemish Blue (PPG1238-3), Always Blue
(PPG1156-3), Copper River (PPG1196-
5), Artesian Well (PPG1231-5) and Rojo
Colonial (PPG13-15). Specifically de-
signed with a washable formula that
withstands the rigorous cleaning and
wear and tear in schools, PPG Paints
brand Pitt Glaze product was selected for
the walls of the classrooms.

Robb Butler, PPG regional sales manager in the St. Petersburg and Tampa area said, “At PPG, we protect and beautify the world while investing in our local communities, especially in support of local educational opportunities. We are proud to be a community partner in the Greater Tampa, Clearwater and St.

Petersburg area and hope this project helps Academy Prep continue its mission of providing students with enriching educational opportunities.”

AkzoNobel Invests € 12. 6
Million in New Innovation
Hub in the UK

More than 100 of the coatings industry’s
leading scientists are being brought to-
gether by AkzoNobel in a new € 12. 6 mil-
lion research and innovation hub which
could revolutionize the company’s port-
folio. Located in Felling in the UK, the
facility will be home to teams of scientists
and technical experts who will work on
developing protective coatings for the en-
ergy, mining, infrastructure and oil and
gas industries. The main focus will be on
delivering cutting edge innovations and
efficiencies for protecting steel and con-
crete structures from damage caused by
corrosion, abrasion and fire. The new in-
novation hub will also offer a world class
testing and simulation facility, enabling
tests to be carried out in condi-
tions experienced in the world’s
most extreme environments. The
facility is expected to be opera-
tional at the end of 2018. “Our work at
the state-of-the-art lab will have an im-
portant impact on our most critical indus-
tries,” said Conrad Keijzer, AkzoNobel’s
Executive Committee member respon-
sible for Performance Coatings. “More
than 100 top scientists and technical
experts will be working on future solu-
tions that will offer essential protection
to a wide variety of products for our cus-
tomers.” Added Greg Clark, UK Secretary
of State for Business: “Having grown up
in the north east of England, I am very
aware of the strengths of the chemical
sector in the region. AkzoNobel’s sig-
nificant investment in establishing a new
technical innovation hub is further proof
that Britain is open for business and un-
derlines the growth we want to see and
support in our local economies. As we
develop our industrial strategy, we are