Akzo Nobel’s Board of Management announced that Akzo Nobel is in the process of constructing a coil coatings facility at its production site in Suzhou, China. The coil business is the latest addition to the Suzhou plant, which already houses three other Akzo Nobel Coatings core businesses: Car Refinishes, Powder Coatings and Transportation Coatings. In China, Akzo Nobel currently has 18 operations, including 15 production facilities, representing its three areas of business: Pharma, Coatings and Chemicals. One major operation is a 50-50 joint venture; all other operations are majority or wholly owned. The Suzhou site and the recently opened wood coatings plant at Dongguan City are 100% Akzo Nobel facilities. The monochloroacetic acid plant under construction in Taixing is also wholly owned. Akzo Nobel has 1,700 employees in China and has seen its sales quadruple to EUR 300 million in the last five years, stemming from organic growth and acquisitions. The coil coatings facility is expected to start production in late 2002.
