AkzoNobel has opened a new research and development (R&D) center in High Point, N.C., in a move to boost investments in science and technology. Officials say the center functions as a product development facility and customer support center for AkzoNobel’s wood coatings business.
The new facility joins several other R&D centers supporting the company’s performance coatings business throughout North America, including in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
Officials say the High Point center features updated equipment that enables AkzoNobel to reproduce the application environment and methods for customers and ensures products provide the intended performance once commercialized.
“We will use the new laboratory to leverage the latest best practices,” says Jim Kavanagh, managing director of industrial coatings. “The center will contain the latest application and testing equipment that will allow us to mimic our customer’s lines and environments. We can increase the time it takes to scale up products for launches without wasting our customer’s valuable line time. We can efficiently and predictably develop, test and industrialize our technologies to meet customer requirements.”
