AkzoNobel has announced plans to invest €3 million in three additional production lines for powder coatings at its site in Changzhou, China. The plant is the company’s largest of its type in the world.

The project, said the Dutch group, will strengthen its ability to deliver more locally produced premium products by expanding capacity of acrylic powder coatings, metallic powder coatings and powder primers for the automotive industry. Capacity figures and a timescale for the project were not disclosed.

“China is a high priority region for us and the booming powder coatings industry in China will help to optimize our production and investment strategy,” said CEO Thierry Vanlancker.

The Changzhou site opened in 2012, with the powder coatings facility added in 2018. Output supplies virtually all industry applications in the East China region.

In separate news, AkzoNobel has sold its former paint plant in Slough, UK, for €75 million to an unnamed buyer.

The site includes both the manufacturing plant and AkzoNobel’s R&D facility. Paint production stopped at the site in 2016 and was relocated to Ashington in Northumberland, UK.

AkzoNobel said its UK headquarters and Dulux Academy, which are located to the west of the Slough site, are not included in the sale and continue to be actively used.