Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc. announced at a groundbreaking
ceremony that it will name Nashville as its North American
Powder Coatings headquarters and technical laboratories in 2007. The designation will add approximately 50 new high value-added jobs to the Nashville area, including positions with the company's general management, finance, information management, R&D, customer service (inside sales) and purchasing departments.    

A building expansion will add 10,000 square-feet of office space to the company's existing Nashville manufacturing facility. The manufacturing site currently employs approximately 125 full-time employees.

The construction of a 6,500 square-foot state-of-the-art R&D facility has already been started and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The new industrial R&D laboratories will support architectural, furniture and appliance market sectors and will become the company's "Center of Expertise" for these sectors in North America.