AkzoNobel Opens Paints and Coatings Plant in Pakistan
Dutch paints and coatings group AkzoNobel has been opened a new €26 million manufacturing plant Faisalabad, Pakistan – the company’s largest investment in the country to date.
The 25-acre site, AkzoNobel said, has facilities for making decorative paint, wood finishes, automotive and specialty coatings, coil coatings and protective coatings.
“Our investment in this greenfield site reaffirms our commitment to grow in Pakistan,” says Mubbasher Omar, CEO of Akzo Nobel Pakistan. “It will fuel our ambition to diversify with sustainable innovations and enter new segments in the domestic market, while also providing new opportunities to delight customers beyond Pakistan.”
The site, which employs nearly 200 people, includes a series of sustainability features, such as renewable energy generation and energy efficient design.
“We’ve also integrated agile manufacturing to accommodate future expansion in production volumes, thereby allowing AkzoNobel to be more competitive in the market,” continues Omar. “It’s the next step in continuing to build on the company’s 60-year track record of delighting paints and coatings customers in Pakistan with world class solutions.”
According to AkzoNobel, the Faisalabad location also incorporates a forest spanning an area of 5,450 square feet. More than 1,400 native trees and shrubs – planted using the Japanese Miyawaki gardening technique – are expected to grow into a self-sustaining ecosystem over the next two years.
