AMSTERDAM — AkzoNobel has opened a new £10 million global research and development center at its Slough site in the UK. AkzoNobel reports that the new center adds 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 the company’s innovation capabilities, particularly in the decorative paints space.

The facility in the UK is the latest in a series of centers opened by AkzoNobel designed to advance the company’s product development. These include an automotive facility in Poland, an Application Training Center in Dubai, an Innovation Campus in Felling, UK, and a global innovation, development and training center in Qatar for the Marine Coatings business.

“The inauguration of this fantastic new center will help us to continue our long tradition of pioneering new products and developing more sustainable solutions for our customers through ground-breaking innovations,” said AkzoNobel CEO, Thierry Vanlancker, who attended the official opening. “As well as marking the start of a new chapter in the UK, it’s also a clear signal of our ongoing commitment to keep pushing boundaries as part of our People. Planet. Paint. approach to making a genuine and lasting difference to customers, communities and the world around us.”

The opening of the Slough facility follows on from the 2019 UK launch of AkzoNobel’s R&D Innovation Campus in Felling, which is home to some of the company’s leading scientists and technical experts in marine and protective coatings.

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.

Learn more about AkzoNobel at www.akzonobel.com.