AMSTERDAM - AkzoNobel has started production at its fourth, and largest, plant for decorative paints in China. Located in Chengdu, the new facility represents an important milestone in the company's growth plans for the west of the country. The new plant is part of an investment in excess of €50 million to build manufacturing facilities for both Powder Coatings and Decorative Paints.

Located in Qionglai, Chengdu, the new 55,000-square-meter decorative paints site observes the company's highest sustainability and safety standards. All products produced will be waterborne and solvent-free, and the facility's manufacturing environment will generate lower carbon emissions and be more sustainable. Given its central location, the site will enable extensive savings in transportation costs and an optimized logistics network that will reduce carbon emissions by eight kilotons per year - equivalent to carbon emissions of 3,000 tons of standard coal.

Ruud Joosten, Executive Committee member responsible for Decorative Paints at AkzoNobel, said, "China's rapid growth in urbanization has meant an increase in demand for many of our products and services in the region. This new site enables us to respond to this demand and have the expertise on the ground locally to share our knowledge with industry stakeholders. We are looking forward to supplying more essential products to more customers in China than ever before."

AkzoNobel's Decorative Paints sales have grown significantly in Western China. In 2015, the sales volume in the region constituted around one quarter of its overall market revenue in China.  Contributing to the sales growth is the increasing demand for its re-painting services, as well as its eco-friendly products and product solutions to the region’s real estate development.