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Letter to the Editor
Tuesday August 12
Akzo Nobel to Build Global Refinish Research and Development Facility in Michigan
Akzo Nobel will establish an international R&D center in Pontiac, Michigan, U.S., for its Car Refinishes business. The site will play a major role in the development of new products for the global and regional refinishes markets.Along with the R&D facilities, Akzo Nobel will also build a new hi-tech dispersion facility to produce Sikkens Autobase Plus Car Refinishes paint for the North American region. The total investment will amount to USD 30 million.
"This new R&D and production facility underscores our ambition to grow the Car Refinishes business in the U.S. market," said Rudy van der Meer, Akzo Nobel's Board Member responsible for Coatings. "Technological expertise is of paramount importance for coatings in general and for car refinishes in particular and these investments will enhance our global technological leadership."
"The establishment of the new facility re-emphasizes the importance of Akzo Nobel's presence in the U.S.," added Cor de Grauw, General Manager of Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes. "The Pontiac site will play a major role, not just in growing the market for Car Refinishes in the U.S., but it will also help to support our global activities in research and development and in manufacturing.
The hi-tech dispersion facility will produce highly concentrated intermediate products that are turned into finished paints in other parts of the world, close to local markets. The redevelopment of the Pontiac site will involve demolishing old and building new manufacturing units. The R&D activities presently housed in nearby Troy, Michigan, will relocate to the new facilities in Pontiac. Construction will start later this year.
Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes operates two other global research centers, located in Sassenheim, the Netherlands and Bangalore, India. The business also has major production facilities in Sassenheim, the Netherlands; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vantaa, Finland; Zona Franca, Spain; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Suzhou, China.
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