Mercedes-Benz and AkzoNobel have extended their partnership agreement, meaning the Sikkens brand will continue to be the approved partner for paint repairs in China and the preferred paint partner in Indonesia for the next four years.
AkzoNobel said the deal was confirmed after testing and analysis of the product assortments and services provided by Sikkens.
“We’re delighted to extend our successful partnership with one of the world’s most renowned automotive brands,” said Patrick Bourguignon, Director of AkzoNobel’s Automotive and Specialty Coatings business.
“We believe that our class-leading Sikkens portfolio, digital colour tools and services offering can add value to our partner’s after-sales network and deliver the best possible support to its customers in China and Indonesia.”
Baron Schreuder, Regional Commercial Director Asia for AkzoNobel’s Automotive and Vehicle Refinish business, said the continuation of the partnership agreement shows great recognition for the company’s dedicated vehicle refinish teams in the region.
“Asia is an extremely important region for both parties and we’re proud to continue providing a first-class service experience throughout China and Indonesia,” Schreuder added.
The partnership facilitates the use of MIXIT, AkzoNobel’s cloud-based colour retrieval application giving instant access to more than two million colour formulas. Customers can also benefit from AkzoNobel’s business services, including the Carbeat digital body shop workflow solution, which the company says helps increase production management efficiency and reduce cycle times.
For the Chinese market, the company has also introduced a range of new low VOC products.
The agreement extension means AkzoNobel is a Mercedes-Benz partner in 26 markets: Abu Dhabi, Austria, Bahrain, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, the USA and Yemen.