Wedoany.com Report-Dec.22, AkzoNobel has announced a €50 million investment to upgrade and modernize its Waukegan plant in Illinois, USA. This facility is the company's largest aerospace coatings production base. The plant upgrade is a key initiative to strengthen AkzoNobel's global aerospace coatings supply chain.

This two-phase investment plan includes enhancing production capacity and introducing new machinery, equipment, and automated processes. The project also involves establishing a new warehousing facility in neighboring Wisconsin.

Patrick Bourguignon, Director of AkzoNobel's Automotive & Specialty Coatings business, stated, "This investment will enhance our integrated supply capability in North America. With air travel demand expected to grow in the coming years, we want to ensure our customers have access to the high-quality products they need." The Waukegan plant covers approximately 11 acres, employs nearly 200 people, and primarily produces a variety of aerospace coatings, including primers and topcoats.

Specific operational improvements include establishing a liquid pre-mix area, installing high-speed dispersion equipment, and setting up a rapid response service unit, all aimed at accelerating product supply to the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) market. Relocating warehousing functions to Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, will free up more production space at the Waukegan plant, facilitating increased production capacity for customized coatings.

Martin Axstein, Global Operations Director for AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings, said, "By enabling larger batch deliveries, faster response to market demands, and shorter new product development cycles, we will provide our customers with greater supply flexibility." This upgrade investment in the Waukegan plant is part of AkzoNobel's "Industrial Excellence Program," which aims to enhance overall operational efficiency by optimizing the industrial network and focusing on core, high-efficiency production sites.