They say that time flies when you're having fun, but it appears that the same is true when you're making paint. AkzoNobel is celebrating the first anniversary of the opening of its flagship manufacturing unit in Ashington.
The launch of the £100 million state-of-theart facility in September 2017 was a significant milestone in AkzoNobel history. Designed to be the world’s most advanced and sustainable paint factory, the Ashington site created 150 skilled jobs for local people and remains one of the largest investments AkzoNobel has ever made, anywhere in the world.
Boasting cutting-edge manufacturing technologies developed specifically for AkzoNobel, the site is capable of doubling the UK’s current paint production levels to 200 million litres per year, the equivalent of 80 million 2.5 litre cans of Dulux, in up to 33,000 different colours.
Over the past 12 months, the site has been steadily increasing its production volumes, transferring products gradually from other AkzoNobel sites to become the new home of the company’s Dulux megabrand in the UK.
Jeff Hope, head of manufacturing unit at AkzoNobel Ashington, said: We can’t believe how quickly the last year has gone! From day one, our priority has been to ensure that our customers continued to receive the high-quality products with which they were familiar while we transferred volume to Ashington from some of our other manufacturing units.
“By introducing product lines gradually, we have been able to achieve this and we are now comfortably producing an equivalent of 30 million litres per year with scope to increase this further by the end of 2018.”
The site’s production prowess saw AkzoNobel recognised with the top award in the Manufacturing category at the North East Business Awards earlier in the year, as well as the Green Business Award at the 10th annual Northumberland Business Awards and the Sustainable Innovation Award from British Coatings Federation (BCF) in acknowledgement of the company’s dedication to sustainable manufacturing practices. AkzoNobel’s presence in the region however has always been about more than just paint.
From the moment that the diggers broke ground at the 100,000m2 site, AkzoNobel has been on a mission to bring colour to people’s lives.
Through its Smarter Spaces and Human Cities initiatives, AkzoNobel Ashington has donated over 500 litres of paint and raised more than £25,000 for various charitable organisations and community projects across the North East.
“The work we have carried out within the local community is something we are incredibly proud of,” said Alex Wardle, site support coordinator at AkzoNobel Ashington.
“We are passionate about the local area, its people, places and history and from the outset, we wanted AkzoNobel to become an intrinsic part of that.
“By working together with local schools and community groups as well as dedicated charity partners such as the Nicole Rich Foundation and Northumberland National Park, we have been able to make a real difference to people’s lives, either through fundraising activities or the donation of time and resources.”
The company’s efforts were recognised at the Tyneside and Northumberland regional heat of the North East Business Awards with the Heart of the Community Award, only narrowly missing out on the top prize at the grand final to Keepmoat Homes.
Externally, AkzoNobel has enjoyed a stellar year of award wins, but the same is also true within the factory. The company prides itself on maintaining staff engagement rates and promotes a culture of colour within all of its manufacturing units. In late 2017, this dedication was rewarded with Gold-level Investors in People (IIP) status, an outstanding achievement for any new site or business. In addition to this, following 12 months of campaigning and various staff-led activities, the site was also recognised with Silver Better Health at Work status.
Looking to the future, AkzoNobel’s key priorities are very much focused on increasing its production volumes still further while also maintaining its position as an outstanding employer and contributor to the local community.
“Our first year in business has been so spectacular, it might be hard to top it!” Jeff Hope added.
“First and foremost, as a manufacturing site, our focus is on the safety of our team and our visitors. We’re also driven to increase our production volumes and producing the best quality products for our customers, but keeping up the good work that we have already started within the local community and the factory itself to keep staff morale high, is also of great importance to us.
“We are incredibly excited about the future at AkzoNobel Ashington and we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2018 and 2019 brings.”
To find out more about AkzoNobel, visit
www.akzonobel.com