Akzo Nobel Coatings' Industrial Finishes business has opened two multipurpose coatings sites in China, one in the Beijing area, the other near Shanghai. The two facilities will together employ about 300 people.

Both sites will focus on 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 industry.

"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," says 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."