Toronto, Ontario — AkzoNobel has announced that it is embarking on a multi-million-euro global program aimed at expanding and upgrading the company’s network of automotive training centres (ATC) with the goal of upskilling painters, bodyshop managers and OEM engineers.
According to a recent press release, for the initial stage of the investment, AkzoNobel is putting three million euros towards creating new training centres, or otherwise upgrade existing sites across Europe, Asia, Australia and Thailand. This program will reportedly continue to be rolled out throughout 2025.
Additionally, the company is also aiming to address the worldwide shortage of future talent by accommodating as many as 300 or more trainees at each site in a typical year, said the press release.
Each site will further be equipped with the latest spray booth technologies and AkzoNobel’s full suite of digital tools created for bodyshops to manage and monitor vehicle repairs.
Moreover, according to the press release, “the automotive training centres are being created, upgraded and equipped to accommodate local businesses, environmental and regulatory needs. AkzoNobel’s ATC in Belgium is the first to have undergone major upgrades by moving to a new state-of-the-art facility. It was officially opened in September and it is the first training centre to feature a hydrogen-powered spray booth to help bodyshops reduce their carbon emissions. It will also have a special air filtration system which produces clean air that is then filtered back out into the atmosphere.”
AkzoNobel has ATCs in more than 40 locations. Through these centres, the company will offer a wide range of training programs, including application training, product and system training and training in new digital colour processes.
Here, the company noted that “there will be an emphasis on quality improvement, process improvement and repairs to RADAR capable vehicles, as well as the next generation of electric vehicles.”
Finally, virtual reality (VR) technology is also set to be incorporated to support spray paint training with a simulator that mimics a fully customized paint application environment. Each of the centres will also provide environments for testing and developing new products, including waterborne basecoats, topcoats and associated paint systems.
Patrick Bourguignon, managing director of AkzoNobel’s Automotive and Specialty Coatings business commented that “the automotive industry of the future requires painters of the future who are fully conversant with the latest technologies and techniques. It also needs management and technicians who understand what’s possible, and how different paints, application processes and digital technologies are transforming the vehicle repair industry of the future.”
“We know,” Bourguignon concluded, “how important collaboration is to success and by investing in our global Automotive Training Centre network, we are supporting bodyshops and the wider industry on their journey to become even more sustainable and ensuring we have the future talent to overcome a worldwide skills shortage.”
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