AkzoNobel starts operation at vehicle refinishes plant in China

Dutch specialty chemicals company AkzoNobel has started operations at its state-of-the-art vehicle refinishes plant in Changzhou, China - the company's thirtieth manufacturing facility in the country. The new factory adds around 25 million litres of capacity for Sikkens, Lesonal and Prime vehicle refinishes products and strengthens AkzoNobel’s position as one of the leading players in China's vehicle refinishes and commercial vehicle OEM markets, building on its acquisition of Changzhou Prime Automotive Ltd in 2010.
 
Simon Parker, Managing Director of AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes business, explained, “The Changzhou site is designed to help us meet rapidly increasing customer demand, not only from domestic suppliers, but also from our global automotive customers that have business in China.”
 
He added that the Chinese vehicle refinishes market is worth around Euro 750 million and has been growing at around 10 percent a year. "Changzhou is the ideal location for this facility. A good infrastructure is already in place and it is ideally situated in the coatings ‘center’ of China, with close access to many of our customers," continued Parker.
 
AkzoNobel currently employs more than 8,000 people in China. The company recorded revenues of totalled Euro 1.6 billion in 2013 in China, with the majority being generated from local demand.