AkzoNobel innovations

Our innovations go beyond expectation, beyond imagination and beyond generations. How? Discover our inspiring stories here.

Beyond handy Color Sensor matches paint colors in seconds​

It's not always easy to make the perfect color match – especially on the go. Professional painters can now be more confident about precisely matching their clients’ color choices, thanks to our portable digital Color Sensor device and app.
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Innovation is our invitation to go

Beyond expectation, imagination and generations

We’ve been innovating for more than 200 years. Our passion for paint – for protecting what’s important and for pushing the boundaries of our industry – is our past, present and future.

"Our over decade-long relationship with AkzoNobel has led us to new innovations, scientific and sustainable advancements and quality finishes." "Our over decade-long relationship with AkzoNobel has led us to new innovations, scientific and sustainable advancements and quality finishes."

Zak Brown

CEO of McLaren Racing

Beyond cool Paints that lower the temperature

Protect your home from wind, rain and the sun! Dulux Weathershield contains Keep Cool Technology with special pigments that reflect more sun's rays – reducing the surface temperature by up to 5°C. That means you need less air conditioning, use less energy and save more money.​

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Beyond panels Helping buildings capture the sun’s power​

Wasted no more! AkzoNobel is part of research consortium ENVISION, aiming to turn heat absorbed by buildings into energy. We're looking beyond solar panels to create heat-absorbing coatings for all surfaces of the building – solutions which come in more colors than just black.

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"As a company which believes in taking its innovation beyond generations, we’re excited to be contributing our expertise and passion for paint to help restore the Night Watch." "As a company which believes in taking its innovation beyond generations, we’re excited to be contributing our expertise and passion for paint to help restore the Night Watch."

Thierry Vanlancker

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Beyond clean Paint that purifies the air​

You can really breathe easy with this paint in your home! Dulux Forest Breath effectively captures and purifies harmful air pollutants. It's low VOC, mold resistant and anti-bacterial. Sounds like magic, but it's our anti-formaldehyde formulation and active bamboo ingredient.

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Going beyond

“We’ve been making paints and coatings since 1792 – and we just haven’t stopped pushing the boundaries of what paint can be and what it can do. That’s why our vision takes the form of one simple word – beyond – which represents both a challenge and a promise.”

Klaas Kruithof

Chief Technology Officer, AkzoNobel

Beyond:

Expectation

What do you expect your paint to do? Nice color and finish? How about keep buildings cool and “green”, make vehicles more aerodynamic and purify the air – our products can do that!

Imagination

What do you imagine paint can be? Robots, big data and AI? Our digital solutions include color matching, visualization and predictive tools – even anti-fouling based on UV light.

Generations

What does the future need? Sustainable solutions to safeguard our planet and a circular economical value chain. How do we deliver? Collaborate and innovate faster and better together.

Innovation at AkzoNobel

  • Innovation in numbers
  • Our technology centers
  • The Incubator
  • Paint the Future
  • Innovation drivers

Innovation in numbers

€1.25B
spent on R&D in the last five years
3,000
scientists employed worldwide
3,100+
patents owned by AkzoNobel
70
laboratories globally
  • Felling, UK
  • Shanghai, China
  • Strongsville, US
  • Bangalore, India
  • Sassenheim, Netherlands

Felling, UK

This €12.6 million research and innovation facility (2019) brings together more than 100 leading scientists and technical experts focused on marine and protective coatings.

Shanghai, China

This €6.5 million technology center (2016) is our largest research facility in China. Various labs are focused on eco-premium solutions, like water-based and powder coatings products.

Strongsville, US

This $10 million research and development center (2016) supports our businesses including coil, extrusion and packaging coatings.

Bangalore, India

This technology center (2002) includes a whole suite of product and service development areas, working mainly on color and achieving the perfect color match.

Sassenheim, Netherlands

Our largest research and development center received a €6 million extension in 2013. About 400 experts focus mainly on long-term research, color research and product development.

Exploring ideas and technologies

The AkzoNobel Incubator drives the progress of our transformative innovation projects. The journey from idea to market is complex. That’s why we have a team that systematically and quickly reduces uncertainty using Lean Startup. Our Incubator team ensures that ideas are failing or succeeding for the right reasons – and that those that make it are truly generating value.

Paint the Future

Paint the Future is the ecosystem​ for accelerating new innovations in paints and coatings. Through our platform and programs, innovators get access to resources to help commercialize their solutions. It’s all about connecting what we know with what we don’t know yet.
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Startups

Suppliers

Innovation Drivers

We have four main innovation priorities.

01

Productivity

We’re looking for solutions to more efficiently manufacture and deliver paint to our customers and help them improve their paint application process by making it more effective and efficient.
02

Asset protection

Our customers rely heavily on paint to protect surfaces and products. The expectations are high when it comes to longevity, chemical resistance and the need for predictive maintenance cycles.
03

Surface enhancement

Paint brings color and effects to life. We want to bring our customers new ways of extracting more value from surfaces and products by adding new functionalities and/or making them responsive.
04

Environmental protection

We want to make a significant and long-lasting difference to preserve our planet beyond generations to come by stimulating a circular economy and offering our customers competitive and sustainable solutions without harmful substances.

Our team

Our team

"I love the process of innovation, because it directly touches our customers and makes them more successful. It’s great to see the collaboration between all functions in the company, working towards one goal – bringing the new product to life."

Judith Werkman

Director Innovation Excellence
"The diversity of the new products we turn out is always fascinating to me. The key is that we are creating competitive advantage both in the field with our products, but also in our own labs through expanding our technology toolbox and product platforms."

Roger Jakeman

Technical Director at AkzoNobel
"The world is changing so fast, and some might find it scary. We find it exciting. We want to be at the forefront of technological change, and that means connecting with exciting new ideas."

Fiona van den Brink

Innovation Excellence Manager at AkzoNobel