Keys handed over for AkzoNobel's £100 million Ashington factory

The build of AkzoNobel’s futuristic £100 million manufacturing facility in Ashington, Northumberland, has reached a significant milestone as Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd has officially handed over the keys to the site.

Sir Robert McAlpine, which undertook all the civil construction requirements for the site, has now officially completed its role as principal contractor and has handed the remainder of the site build over to an AkzoNobel plant commissioning team and ABB Ltd - a leader in power and automation technologies - which will supervise the installation of all processes and equipment.

When complete, the AkzoNobel plant will be one of the most sustainable manufacturing facilities anywhere in the world. It will be home to some of AkzoNobel’s internationally famous brands, including Dulux, Cuprinol, Hammerite and Polycell, confirming the company’s long-term commitment to the production of its decorative paint products in the UK.

Jeff Hope, site manager at AkzoNobel, Ashington, said: “We are now moving to a new stage in the development of the plant. The team at Sir Robert McAlpine brought an exceptional level of expertise to the project that we knew they possessed. There have been challenges along the way, but that is understandable given that we are building a truly magnificent, fully sustainable facility, that will be a global showcase for our decorative paints division.

“At AkzoNobel we are absolutely committed to the safety and welfare of our staff and those of our contractors. It is a tribute to all concerned on the project that Sir Robert McAlpine has not recorded one single injury during 850,000 hours of continual work on site. Given that at the height of the build, there were over 250 contractors on site, it is an amazing achievement.

“While McAlpine has officially handed the project back to us, we are delighted that members of their team will still be on site until the end of the year to offer advice and assistance as needed.”

One of the first tasks for the commissioning team will be the installation of nine fully automated paint filling lines, the result of a £15 million investment. Representing a real cornerstone in the construction of the plant, the filling lines will provide the potential to produce up to 100 million litres of paint for sale in the UK and Europe.

Jeff Hope added: “This will be a fully automated production facility with approximately 90 staff. A key ambition is that we create a diverse and inspiring working environment, based around AkzoNobel’s One Team One Vision culture. To this end, we are currently doing a great deal of work in the local community to point out the types of jobs that will be available and to emphasis the key thing we are looking for is people with the mind-set to match the ambition we have for this site. If the mind-set is right, then we will help them develop the skills they need to do the job. Furthermore, we are very keen to encourage women to look at the opportunities that are here for them as we are determined to build a thriving and mixed workforce.”

Allan Horsburgh, project manager for Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “The site is going to look fabulous when it is finally complete and will be a real asset to Ashington and the North East of England as a whole. It was clear from the outset that AkzoNobel was looking to develop something very special and, as I am fully aware of the sustainability and environmental considerations that have been built in to its design, there is no doubt that that this will be a world class facility.”

Environmental commitments at the Ashington manufacturing facility include achieving energy efficiency through state-of-the art advanced manufacturing processes, as well as best practice in building thermal efficiency, heating design and energy efficient lighting. There will be 100% reuse of water, 90% solvent reuse targets and the elimination of waste at source. The company will also deliver a minimum of 10% of site energy from on-site low-carbon sources, such as biomass, photovoltaic panels and solar thermal water heating.

AkzoNobel also recently announced plans to invest £1-million in a new Powder Coatings Pilot Plant at its facility in Felling, Gateshead. The state-of-the-art pilot line will replicate the powder coatings manufacturing process on a small scale, enhancing development initiative capabilities and significantly easing and speeding up the scale up process from laboratory to full scale production.