HELSINKI - Tikkurila Coatings Oy has completed the acquisition of Akzo Nobel's Nordic general industrial liquid coatings business, a transaction that Tikkurila said will significantly expand its industrial-coatings market position in the Nordic countries and Baltic Sea region. The acquired business's sales were 17 million euros in 2001, in a market area that includes Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland.

Tikkurila Coatings, based in Finland, is a major coatings manufacturer in northern and eastern Europe, with a product portfolio that includes architectural paints, industrial wood finishes, metal-product finishes, protective coatings, and coil coatings.