AKZO NOBEL INDUSTRIAL COATINGS AB

Their core work

AkzoNobel Industrial Coatings AB is the Swedish industrial coatings division of AkzoNobel, one of the world's largest paints and coatings manufacturers. They develop protective and decorative coatings for industrial applications including automotive parts, building materials, and furniture components. In H2020 projects, they contributed expertise in sustainable coating formulations, corrosion protection, and energy-efficient coil coating processes — bringing large-scale manufacturing knowledge to research consortia focused on circular economy and process optimization.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

All three projects started within a narrow 2016–2017 window, making it difficult to identify a clear evolution. However, their participation moved from fundamental materials research (sustainable organic coatings in SUSTICOAT) toward applied industrial process optimization (energy-efficient coil coating in ECCO) and circular product design (ECOBULK). This suggests a broadening from core coating chemistry toward sustainability across the full product lifecycle.

AkzoNobel's H2020 participation signals a shift from traditional corrosion protection toward circular design and energy-efficient manufacturing processes — expect future interest in sustainable materials and lifecycle-oriented coatings.

How they like to work

AkzoNobel Industrial Coatings never coordinated an H2020 project, consistently joining as participant or third party — typical for a large industrial company contributing domain expertise and testing capacity rather than driving research agendas. Their 53 unique partners across 13 countries from just 3 projects indicate they joined large, well-connected consortia. This suggests they are a reliable industrial validation partner who brings real-world manufacturing scale to research projects.

Despite only 3 projects, AkzoNobel built connections with 53 partners across 13 countries, reflecting participation in large Innovation Action consortia. Their network spans a broad European footprint rather than concentrating on Nordic partners.

What sets them apart

As a division of one of the world's largest coatings companies, AkzoNobel brings industrial-scale manufacturing reality to research consortia — they can test and validate coating innovations at production volumes that academic partners cannot. Their combination of corrosion protection expertise, coil coating process knowledge, and circular economy experience makes them a rare partner who spans from materials science to end-of-life product design. For consortium builders, they offer credibility, market access, and a clear exploitation pathway for coating-related innovations.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ECOBULK
  Largest funding (EUR 308,074) and broadest scope — circular design across furniture, automotive, and building sectors, connecting coatings to full product lifecycle.
• ECCO
  Highly specific industrial process focus on energy-efficient coil coating using radiant burners and catalytic technologies — directly tied to AkzoNobel's core manufacturing operations.