Home: Issue 1 2009 › A bright future
A bright future
12/02/2009 | Channel: Manufacturing
AkzoNobel, the world’s largest coatings company, is a leading innovator of decorative paints to the retail and trade industries
Headquarted in Amsterdam, the AkzoNobel Decorative Paint business operates in Europe, the North and South America and Asia, producing paints, woodcare and pre-deco products, as well as tile adhesives and floor levelling compounds. It also offers an array of colour concepts and training courses aimed at the professional market, and is one of the top performers in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes.
The Slough-based business supplies decorative paint to the retail and trade industries across Europe, under various well-known brand names, such as Dulux, Glidden, Hammerite, Cuprinol, International, Sikkens and Polycell. In January 2008, AkzoNobel finalised its acquisition of ICI, re-affirming its position as the largest global paints and coatings company.
Peter Lidstone, supply chain director in the UK, describes the company’s biggest markets: “I look after the UK, Ireland and South Africa; these are three areas where we are particularly active. Under the Dulux brand, we are the number one supplier in both the UK and Ireland and we’re the second most prominent paint producer in South Africa. The market really falls into three areas; the retail paint business, which is selling through a number of major retailers and also a range of independent stores. Another huge area for us is the trade paint business, where we sell through Dulux Decorator Centres – our own stores for the trade market and a number of national accounts and customers.
“Additionally we supply the pre-deco area, for various types of pre-coatings that are applied before decorating. The last area is wood care, which is sold under the Sikkens, Cuprinol and Dulux woodcare brands. In this field, we supply a range of coatings to the wood care market, particularly in the garden for items such as fences, sheds and furniture. This sector also has a retail and trade range to cater for the needs of the DIY customer, as well as the professional applicator.”
He goes on to outline some of the business’ most innovative recent products: “We lead in a number of areas; one is innovation, as shown by items like the Dulux PaintPod, for which we have won several awards in the UK, the Hammerite MetalMaster that we launched in 2008; our award winning Cuprinol Pump sprayers and sprayable fence treatment fluid and the award winning Polycell Polyfilla Stick. These are completely innovative ways of applying our products, giving a performance benefit that no one else offers in these areas. The range and quality of our paint is another area that we constantly develop. The new paint range, Ecosure was launched last year; this is a trade paint that is more environmentally friendly as it substantially reduces embodied carbon impact.
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“Another interesting product is Light&Space, which features our Lumitec technology built into the paint giving a far greater reflection of light from the painted surface. As a result, it makes any room look slightly larger, which in the modern world is a real advantage to homeowners.”
The company recently invested in teardrop trailers for freight, which use ten per cent less fuel and generate 20 per cent less carbon dioxide. Peter talks about the investment and the company’s green responsibility: “The teardrop trailers have a unique design that gives them a far better aerodynamic performance, which in turn leads to better fuel economy and less carbon dioxide. This is a real advantage for our business and our environmental approach. One of our goals in the marketplace is to become the leader in environmental sustainability performance.”
In terms of efficiency, the organisation operates a business excellence model, which Peter describes: “To monitor progress we use a Balanced Scorecard approach. Underlying that, we use a Process Capability Assessment Tool to drive continuous improvement. We use these in specific areas of the business, such as marketing, sales, finance, R&D, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics. These tools are models that enable us to assess each area and how to improve efficiency. We run the tool on an annual basis, and each sector audits itself to determine any potential enhancements before improvement plans can be put in place. Our business excellence model has been in place for the last four years and it is working well for us. Within the supply chain area we are looking to extend the toolkit too, with a greater focus on lean and agile techniques to support the black and green belt activities we already have underway.”
He goes on to explain the company’s plans for future development: “in the UK and Ireland business unit the strategy for the future is embodied by the phrase: big, bold and brilliant. This breaks down into our aim to be the number one paint business in the UK; we want to be bold in terms of our market innovation and driving customer value and satisfaction, we want to be brilliant in terms of the products that we offer, and we want to employ the best people who are recognised and rewarded in the appropriate way. We see plenty of opportunities to grow and develop, even in difficult times. We have the people, plans and products in place to be successful.”
AkzoNobel
www.akzonobel.com
Employees: 60,000
Products: Decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals
The Slough-based business supplies decorative paint to the retail and trade industries across Europe, under various well-known brand names, such as Dulux, Glidden, Hammerite, Cuprinol, International, Sikkens and Polycell. In January 2008, AkzoNobel finalised its acquisition of ICI, re-affirming its position as the largest global paints and coatings company.
Peter Lidstone, supply chain director in the UK, describes the company’s biggest markets: “I look after the UK, Ireland and South Africa; these are three areas where we are particularly active. Under the Dulux brand, we are the number one supplier in both the UK and Ireland and we’re the second most prominent paint producer in South Africa. The market really falls into three areas; the retail paint business, which is selling through a number of major retailers and also a range of independent stores. Another huge area for us is the trade paint business, where we sell through Dulux Decorator Centres – our own stores for the trade market and a number of national accounts and customers.
“Additionally we supply the pre-deco area, for various types of pre-coatings that are applied before decorating. The last area is wood care, which is sold under the Sikkens, Cuprinol and Dulux woodcare brands. In this field, we supply a range of coatings to the wood care market, particularly in the garden for items such as fences, sheds and furniture. This sector also has a retail and trade range to cater for the needs of the DIY customer, as well as the professional applicator.”
He goes on to outline some of the business’ most innovative recent products: “We lead in a number of areas; one is innovation, as shown by items like the Dulux PaintPod, for which we have won several awards in the UK, the Hammerite MetalMaster that we launched in 2008; our award winning Cuprinol Pump sprayers and sprayable fence treatment fluid and the award winning Polycell Polyfilla Stick. These are completely innovative ways of applying our products, giving a performance benefit that no one else offers in these areas. The range and quality of our paint is another area that we constantly develop. The new paint range, Ecosure was launched last year; this is a trade paint that is more environmentally friendly as it substantially reduces embodied carbon impact.
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“Another interesting product is Light&Space, which features our Lumitec technology built into the paint giving a far greater reflection of light from the painted surface. As a result, it makes any room look slightly larger, which in the modern world is a real advantage to homeowners.”
The company recently invested in teardrop trailers for freight, which use ten per cent less fuel and generate 20 per cent less carbon dioxide. Peter talks about the investment and the company’s green responsibility: “The teardrop trailers have a unique design that gives them a far better aerodynamic performance, which in turn leads to better fuel economy and less carbon dioxide. This is a real advantage for our business and our environmental approach. One of our goals in the marketplace is to become the leader in environmental sustainability performance.”
In terms of efficiency, the organisation operates a business excellence model, which Peter describes: “To monitor progress we use a Balanced Scorecard approach. Underlying that, we use a Process Capability Assessment Tool to drive continuous improvement. We use these in specific areas of the business, such as marketing, sales, finance, R&D, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics. These tools are models that enable us to assess each area and how to improve efficiency. We run the tool on an annual basis, and each sector audits itself to determine any potential enhancements before improvement plans can be put in place. Our business excellence model has been in place for the last four years and it is working well for us. Within the supply chain area we are looking to extend the toolkit too, with a greater focus on lean and agile techniques to support the black and green belt activities we already have underway.”
He goes on to explain the company’s plans for future development: “in the UK and Ireland business unit the strategy for the future is embodied by the phrase: big, bold and brilliant. This breaks down into our aim to be the number one paint business in the UK; we want to be bold in terms of our market innovation and driving customer value and satisfaction, we want to be brilliant in terms of the products that we offer, and we want to employ the best people who are recognised and rewarded in the appropriate way. We see plenty of opportunities to grow and develop, even in difficult times. We have the people, plans and products in place to be successful.”
AkzoNobel
www.akzonobel.com
Employees: 60,000
Products: Decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals