Pictured (left to right) at the official opening of AkzoNobel’s new R&D center in Slough are: Ambassador Karel van Oosterom, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Thierry Vanlancker, CEO of AkzoNobel; Lord Grimstone, UK Minister for Investment; Fiona McLachlan, Technical Director Color, AkzoNobel; Roger Jakeman, Director – Technical and Product Management, AkzoNobel
AkzoNobel says it has opened a new £10 million global research and development center at its Slough site in the U.K., reportedly adding to a growing list of similar facilities located in countries around the world. The facility – home to 120 specialists – will act as a major hub within the company’s worldwide R&D network and help to further advance AkzoNobel’s innovation capabilities, especially in the area of decorative paints, according to the company.
The site reportedly is the latest in a series of centers opened by AkzoNobel designed to advance the company’s product development. Additional centers include an automotive facility in Poland, an application training center in Dubai, an innovation campus in Felling, U.K., and a global innovation, development and training center in Qatar for the company’s marine coatings business.
Fiona McLachlan, AkzoNobel’s technical director – color, says, “Our paints and coatings have a strong heritage in the U.K. and Ireland, touching so many aspects of our day-to-day lives. This modern, fit-for-purpose center will continue this legacy into the future. It will enable us to further our long-standing contributions to the paints and coatings industry, while helping to drive the local economy, both regionally and nationally.”
The new center is located close to the company’s flagship Dulux Academy, a purpose-built facility which, along with 12 other locations in Dulux Decorator Centers and colleges, provides painters and decorators with expertise to help improve product, application and technical knowledge and understanding, according to the company.
For more information, visit: www.akzonobel.com
