AkzoNobel expands its global network with a new Yacht Paint Application Center in Hamburg

AkzoNobel's international network of yacht paint application centres has expanded into Germany. The company has opened its first Yacht Paint Application Center (YPAC) for the DACH region, in Hamburg, giving applicators, distributors, designers, contractors and other professionals across the superyacht and leisure marine sectors access to advanced technical training and product support.

The centre forms part of AkzoNobel's global strategic investment initiative to strengthen regional technical support. It is intended to serve as the industry's leading resource for product education and hands-on training, helping professionals navigate evolving regulations and deliver consistent results across superyacht paint refit, custom build and small professional markets. The facility will also address some of the most pressing challenges faced by boatbuilders, refit yards and distributors, including the growing demand for professional training to help close the skills gap.

The new Hamburg hub strengthens AkzoNobel's international network of application centres and will support customers across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. It joins established YPAC locations in North America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia. The most recent programme, at the Gold Coast City Marina in Coomera, Australia, has been recognised as setting a global industry benchmark in training, receiving an EPIC Award, for Exceptional, Purposeful, Innovative, Compassionate Companies, in the Training category, in November.

AkzoNobel's paint application services cover advice and product training on technologies and sustainable practices across its Awlgrip® and International® brands, spanning preparation, priming, filling, topcoat application, maintenance and repair of paint systems.

The Hamburg YPAC facility includes a mezzanine-level training room and paint mixing room, as well as a preparation bay and spray booth. Professionals also have access to AkzoNobel's virtual reality (VR) spray gun simulation, which creates a virtual environment for applicators to practise yacht painting techniques without using actual products. Users can work with Awlgrip and International® systems, adjusting spray gun settings and application angles for primers, topcoats and fouling control.

Further digital training tools include XpertEye, a headset that connects applicators directly to the AkzoNobel team for real-time technical support; AMV (Automatchic Vision), a hand-held spectrophotometer for precise digital colour measurement; and MIXIT, AkzoNobel's colour identification and retrieval platform, which holds a database of more than 17,000 colours.

"The opening of our new Yacht Paint Application Center in Germany marks another milestone in our commitment to technical leadership, training, and customer partnership. The facility brings our technical expertise even closer to customers, supporting them with training, services and hands-on guidance to achieve exceptional coating performance with confidence," said Jemma Lampkin, Yacht Global Commercial Director, AkzoNobel.

"The new Yacht Paint Application Center gives us a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate our latest coating technologies in action. It's a space where we can collaborate directly with our customers, test real-world applications, and share practical knowledge and tips to help them get the best from our products," said Jean-Pierre Martius, Area Sales Manager, DACH, AkzoNobel.

©PressMare - All rights reserved