Jul 15 2004
Akzo Nobel Coatings’ Industrial finishes business this week officially opened two new multi-purpose coatings sites in China.
Located in Tianjin, 80 miles from Beijing, and Jiashang, which is in the vicinity of Shanghai, the two facilities will employ around 300 people in total. Both will focus on Industrial Finishes’ core business activities: the manufacture of wood, coil and specialty plastic coatings. In China, Akzo Nobel’s wood coatings are used in the furniture industry, its coil coatings in roofing and siding for the construction industry and its specialty plastics for the consumer electronics market.
“With the opening of these two sites we are further demonstrating our ongoing commitment to establishing a significant presence in China for all our key businesses,” said Rudy van der Meer, Member of Akzo Nobel’s Board of Management responsible for Coatings. “As the world’s biggest coatings company we are making sustained efforts to expand in growth areas and China remains a key market within our global strategy.”
Akzo Nobel Coatings now operates eight production sites in China, housing all the key businesses, and has two new powder coatings sites under construction. One major operation is a 50-50 joint venture, all the others are majority or wholly owned. As well as the Jiashang and Tianjin locations, the Company also has coatings sites in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Ningbo and Dongguan City. The Coatings group in China, which employs more than 2,100 people, saw its sales increase to nearly EUR 300 million in 2003, stemming from organic growth and selective acquisitions.
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