AkzoNobel’s plan to accelerate growth and increase revenue in India to €1 billion within the next five years has been underlined by the official opening of a new industrial coatings plant near Bangalore. The facility, which will produce coil and specialty plastic coatings, is located in Hoskote on an existing AkzoNobel site that already manufactures marine and protective coatings, automotive coatings and powder coatings. The technologies most in demand include laser-etch coatings for the automotive industry, soft-touch technology for smart phones and coil coatings for high performance steel and aluminum construction markets. The new Bangalore facility will be capable of manufacturing up to 18 million liters per year, with scope for further expansion. The additional capacity will also boost the company’s ability to meet the growing demand in India and neighboring countries. AkzoNobel currently employs approximately 1,500 people in India and operates six production facilities, two research laboratories and roughly a dozen sales locations, representing activities from across all coatings and specialty chemicals businesses.