AkzoNobel announced it has embarked on a €3 million ($3.17 million) global program to expand and upgrade its network of Automotive Training Centres (ATCs) to further upskill painters, bodyshop managers and OEM engineers on a new generation of coatings and technologies to support the industry in delivering a more sustainable future.
AkzoNobel is equipping its global Automotive Training Centres with advanced technologies like hydrogen-powered spray booths, VR training, and digital tools to address sustainability and a global skills shortage. With plans to train hundreds annually and support the shift to more sustainable vehicle repairs, these centers are redefining the future of the automotive industry.
Patrick Bourguignon, Managing Director of AkzoNobel’s Automotive and Specialty Coatings business, says the company is building on its rich history of sharing expertise to raise standards.
“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,” Bourguignon said. “We know 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.”
For the initial phase, the business is investing €3 million euros to create new or upgrade existing sites across Europe, and Asia, Australia and Thailand. The program is underway and will continue to be rolled out throughout 2025.
As well as supporting bodyshops and the wider automotive industry in rethinking their approach to sustainability, AkzoNobel is also addressing a worldwide shortage of future talent. As many as 300 or more trainees will be accommodated at each site in a typical year.
Each of the sites will be equipped with the latest spray booth technologies and AkzoNobel’s full suite of digital tools created for bodyshops to manage and monitor the high-tech process of vehicle repairs. These could include Carbeat, a production workflow tool, PaintPerformAir (PPA), which helps bring even greater consistency and efficiency in the painting process.
AkzoNobel’s color technology will also continue to be a key feature of the ATCs, with sites being equipped with ColorMatchic, a digitally led color matching and mixing system. Visitors will see first-hand the efficiency and quality benefits that the automated mixing machine offers bodyshop managers and paint technicians.
The Automotive Training Centres are being created, upgraded and equipped to accommodate local business, environmental and regulatory needs. AkzoNobel’s ATC in Belgium is the first to have undergone major upgrade 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 significantly reduce their carbon emissions. It will also have a special air filtration system which produces clean air (up to 99%) which is filtered back out into the atmosphere. This was a particular requirement of the site to meet regulations brought in for businesses in close proximity to the local airport.
AkzoNobel’s existing training centre in France will be expanded and developed to include a fully electric-powered spraybooth, while an upgrade to an existing site in Spain includes two spray booths, developed in collaboration with USI Italia, which consume significantly less energy in operation compared to current models. It will also feature a dedicated preparation area as part of AkzoNobel’s new ‘Rapid Repair Station’ concept, accelerating the end-to-end production process.
AkzoNobel has ATC’s in more than 40 locations, across every major region where its customers are located, including Europe, North America, China, and the United Arab Emirates. Through these centres it will offer a wide range of training programmes including application training, product and system training, and training in new digital color processes. 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.
Virtual Reality (VR) technology is to be incorporated to support spray paint training with a simulator that mimics a fully customised 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.