Akzo Nobel Coatings

Akzo Nobel Coatings is the name associated with a German coatings company based in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. Its history traces to a paint and color factory founded in Mannheim in 1851 by pharmacist Cristian Lechler. The factory later moved to Feuerbach, near Stuttgart, and in 1879 the business was renamed Paul Lechler, Stuttgart. The company became part of the Akzo Nobel group in 1954. The supplied German-language account says it operated as a GmbH and produced coatings until the end of April 2020. The historical account connects the Stuttgart operation with the house brands LEVIS, LESONAL and SIKKENS. It describes a site that underwent substantial changes in workforce and production: in 1994, 1,500 people were employed at the Stuttgart site, and the workforce was halved following the sale of part of the business that year. In 2001, production of mass-market articles was moved to Spain. The same account gives an approximate Stuttgart workforce of 350 and an approximate Germany-wide workforce of 2,300, both explicitly referring to 2007. Akzo Nobel Coatings is distinct from the broader AkzoNobel group and its international portfolio. AkzoNobel’s current corporate website describes the group as headquartered in the Netherlands, active in more than 150 countries, and a maker of paints and coatings. It highlights group brands including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon. These group-wide facts provide context, but do not establish the present operating status or current product range of the specific Stuttgart company. The available evidence records that production there ended in April 2020; it does not clarify whether the legal entity or the Akzo Nobel Coatings name continues in another capacity.

The origins of Akzo Nobel Coatings are traced in the supplied German-language account to a paint and color factory established in Mannheim in 1851 by pharmacist Cristian Lechler. The factory soon moved to Feuerbach near Stuttgart. In 1879, the enterprise was renamed Paul Lechler, Stuttgart. These early dates describe the predecessor business and its development, rather than establishing that the Akzo Nobel Coatings name was in use from the company’s founding. The account says the business became part of the Akzo Nobel group in 1954. It also says that the company operated under the name Akzo Nobel Coatings, while separately stating that it used the Lechler Lacke name until 1957. Because those statements do not align precisely on the transition date, the evidence supports group membership from 1954 and the reported name history, but does not permit a more exact reconciliation. The company is described as a GmbH based in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. The Stuttgart operation was associated with the house brands LEVIS, LESONAL and SIKKENS. A workforce figure of 1,500 at the Stuttgart site is reported for 1994. The same year, a portion of the business was sold and the workforce was halved. In 2001, production of mass-market articles was moved to Spain. The account reports approximately 350 employees at the Stuttgart site and approximately 2,300 employees in Germany, with those figures explicitly identified as applying as of 2007. The key later operational milestone in the supplied evidence is the end of production: the German-language account says Akzo Nobel Coatings produced coatings until the end of April 2020. This establishes that production at the described business had ended by that date, but does not by itself establish that the legal company was dissolved or that all related brands ceased to exist. The wider AkzoNobel group provides current corporate context. Its official website describes a Netherlands-headquartered coatings company operating in more than 150 countries and identifies a portfolio that includes Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon. Those statements refer to the group as a whole and should not be read as proof that the Stuttgart company currently manufactures or markets those products. The available evidence does not specify the German entity’s present legal status, leadership, or post-2020 activities.

• 2020

  Coatings production ends at the end of April

• 2007

  Reported workforce figures for Stuttgart and Germany

• 2001

  Mass-market production moves to Spain

• 1994

  Part of the business is sold and Stuttgart workforce is halved

• 1954

  Becomes part of the Akzo Nobel group

• 1879

  Renamed Paul Lechler, Stuttgart

• 1851

  Cristian Lechler establishes a paint and color factory in Mannheim

A German coatings business within the AkzoNobel group, historically associated with the Stuttgart-Feuerbach production site and the LEVIS, LESONAL and SIKKENS house brands. The supplied evidence says production at the site ended in April 2020.

• Paints and coatings

  The company is described as a paint and coatings manufacturer; production at the Stuttgart operation is reported to have ended in April 2020.

• LEVIS, LESONAL and SIKKENS

  The German-language company history identifies these as house brands associated with the Stuttgart site.

• 2020

  End of coatings productionOther

• 2001

  Transfer of mass-market production to SpainOther

1. 1Akzo Nobel Coatings (German Wikipedia)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2About us | AkzoNobelakzonobel.com
3. 3AkzoNobel | AkzoNobelakzonobel.com
4. 4Our brands | AkzoNobelakzonobel.com
5. 5Stories | AkzoNobelakzonobel.com
6. 6Akzo Nobel Coatingswikidata.org