AkzoNobel’s Ningbo plant starts production

This week, production will start at AkzoNobel’s chelates facility located at the company’s new €275 million multi-site in Ningbo, China.

The start-up of the first activities in Ningbo means that AkzoNobel is now the only major producer of chelates with plants in Europe, North America and Asia. New ethylene amines and ethylene oxide factories are also due to begin production at the site in 2010, followed by an organic peroxides facility.

“China is a key market for us and the Ningbo site will enable us to better serve customers throughout the Asia Pacific region,” said Rob Frohn, the AkzoNobel Board member responsible for Specialty Chemicals. “Growth in the emerging markets is fundamental to our strategy and Ningbo will play an important role as we look to further boost our presence and capabilities.”

The new plant – which will help to optimize the company’s global supply chain – will produce most of the basic chelates in AkzoNobel’s Dissolvine® product range. This will include the company’s new biodegradable chelating agent, Dissolvine® GL, which can be used in applications such as detergents and oilfield and is expected to play an important role as a phosphate replacement in cleaning formulations.

The formal inauguration of the Ningbo site – which occupies a 50-hectare plot and offers ideal opportunities for any future investments – is expected to take place in late 2010 once the new ethylene amines facility is on stream.
AkzoNobel has more than 6,000 employees and 25 locations in China, with annual revenue of around €1 billion (2008).