CHANGZHOU, China - AkzoNobel has started operations at its vehicle refinishes plant in Changzhou, China - the company's 30^th manufacturing facility in the country.

The new factory adds around 25 million liters of capacity for Sikkens, Lesonal and Prime vehicle refinishes products and strengthens AkzoNobel’s position as one of the leading players in China's vehicle refinishes and commercial vehicle OEM markets, building on its acquisition of Changzhou Prime Automotive Ltd. in 2010.

"The Changzhou site is designed to help us meet rapidly increasing customer demand, not only from domestic suppliers, but also from our global automotive customers that have business in China," explained Simon Parker, Managing Director of AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes business.

He added that the Chinese vehicle refinishes market is worth around €750 million and has been growing at around 10% a year. "Changzhou is the ideal location for this facility," continued Parker. "A good infrastructure is already in place and it is ideally situated in the coatings 'center' of China, with close access to many of our customers."