AKZO Nobel Plans to Spend $50 Million to Upgrade Michigan Site by 2006

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Akzo Nobel Coatings Incorporated (Troy, Michigan), a subsidiary of Akzo Nobel N.V. (LSE: UK:AKZ) (The Netherlands), is planning several major additions and renovations at its Pontiac, Michigan plant site. Over the next couple of years, Akzo Nobel will be spending an estimated $50 million in capital to improve research and development capabilities, and production capacity for its automotive coatings business with several phases of work beginning this fall.

Arcadis (Southfield, Michigan) has been selected to provide A&E services for the construction of a new research and development lab building (PEC 18001774) in Pontiac, with civil construction starting beginning early next spring for the approximately 30,000 square foot building addition. Research and development operations from Troy, Michigan will be relocated to Pontiac upon completion of this nearly $12 million project.

Oneira Corporation (Oakville, Ontario) has been selected to provide A&E services for the expansion of production operations in the existing Pontiac plant (PEC 18001775). An award of a construction manager for this estimated $18 million project is expected this fall with a bulk of the construction beginning late this winter. This production expansion will include several expansions and retrofits of existing operations including new batch process controls, equipment dismantlement, a new resin tank farm plus a new dispersion production building. Construction is expected to begin next month for the addition of a new bulk solvent tank farm.