AkzoNobel has celebrated the second anniversary if its ‘state of the art’ manufacturing facility in Ashington by producing one million litres of paint in just one week.

Over the past two years, the company has been transferring manufacturing volume to Ashington and make it the new UK home of Dulux decorative paint.

Reaching the one million-litre production target is a major breakthrough for the site’s bespoke automated systems
— and the team who helped commission them.

Jeff Hope, head of the manufacturing unit, said: “Designed to react to customer demand, the dual manufacturing systems at AkzoNobel Ashington make the site the company’s most agile plant globally.

“The high levels of automation mean that we have access to an incredible amount of data for all of our processes.

“This means we can monitor every aspect of the manufacturing process to identify key areas where we can make improvements.

“Hitting one million litres in a week is an incredible achievement.”

AkzoNobel Ashington is capable of doubling the UK’s current paint production levels to 200 million litres per year, the equivalent of 80 million 2.5-litre cans of Dulux.

The plant, which was officially opened in September 2017, was a significant milestone in the company’s history, creating over 160 skilled jobs for local people as well as 100 in the local supply chain.