Global paints and coatings company AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is investing €12.6 million to develop a new research and innovation hub in Felling, United Kingdom.
According to the company, the facility will serve as a home base for more than 100 leading scientists and technical experts, who will work collaboratively on the development of protective coatings for the energy, mining, infrastructure, and oil and gas industries.
The main focus will be to deliver innovations and efficiencies for protecting steel and concrete structures from damage caused by corrosion, abrasion, and fire, AkzoNobel explains.
The innovation center will also include a large testing and simulation facility, enabling tests to be carried out in conditions experienced in the world’s most extreme environments.
“Our work at the state-of-the-art lab will have an important impact on our most critical industries,” says Conrad Keijzer, AkzoNobel’s executive committee member responsible for performance coatings. “More than 100 top scientists and technical experts will be working on future solutions that will offer essential protection to a wide variety of products for our customers.”
The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2018.
Source: AkzoNobel, akzonobel.com