05.25.11
AkzoNobel has opened a new research laboratory in Deventer, the Netherlands. Housing more than 200 researchers from the company's Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) organization, the facility is one of a network of six global RD&I centers that work with the company's businesses. The six global RD&I Centers host a combination of business-led R&D groups and several of the company's Expert Capability Groups, who work in partnership with AkzoNobel's businesses. Their role is critical in delivering the company's ambition of increasing the contribution made by bigger and bolder innovations from about 9 percent to between 15 and 20 percent of revenue by 2015, and ensuring that at least 30 percent of sales will be derived from eco-premium solutions. In 2010, the company spent close to 20 percent of its global R&D budget in the Netherlands. Many innovations have already originated from the Deventer laboratories including Dissolvine GL, a biodegradable chelating agent used for cleaning detergents; Perkalite, which acts as a flame-retardant, as well as chemical intermediates used in the production of adhesives, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.