Prime Minister John Key Thursday officially opened the $30 million upgrade of Dulux’s paint manufacturing and warehouse facility in Wellington.

According to Scoop, the investment signals the leading paint maker’s commitment to manufacturing in New Zealand, the major upgrade of the 70 year old Hutt Valley facility sets it up for the long term and makes it the country’s largest paint manufacturing facility.

Commenting on the move, DuluxGroup Chairman Peter Kirby said the investment is one of the most significant capital projects DuluxGroup has undertaken for some time and it is an important part of the company’s growing Dulux’s market leading positions here in New Zealand.

The two year construction project has included replacing and expanding the main water-based paint manufacturing building and introducing greater automation, new filling machine and production vessels, noted Scoop.

The project also included construction of new and larger warehousing and distribution facilities, removal of older earthquake-prone buildings, new roadways to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety, and improved water treatment and waste management systems, said the release.

Dulux New Zealand General Manager Julia Myers said the new facilities greatly improve the safety and efficiency of Dulux New Zealand’s day-to-day operations. They also provide additional manufacturing capacity and set the direction for its future here in New Zealand, added Myers.

According to Myers, in the final stages of construction, the increased manufacturing capacity and the new equipment were given a thorough stress test. Production was doubled almost overnight to export finished product to Australia to help cover the production lost as a result of its main Australian factory being extensively damaged by floods earlier this year, added Myers.

Myers reiterated that it has been a phenomenal effort to complete the work on time and on budget. Just pouring the concrete slab for the warehouse required the securing two of Wellington’s concrete production plants’ capacity for a 24 hour period, noted Myers.

Dulux products have also been used extensively throughout the new and refurbished buildings with the ‘Colours of New Zealand’ range of paints on prominent display inside and out. Appropriately, the base cooler on the exterior of the new factory building is ‘Dulux Hutt Valley’ from its Wellington range.

Dulux New Zealand is part of Australian publicly listed company DuluxGroup which manufacturers and markets some of New Zealand’s most iconic brands including Dulux, Selleys, Yates and Cabot’s.

The office will enhance its foot print in the region, with a focus on growth across its core strategic markets, which, in New Zealand include Coatings, Food, Personal Care/Cleaning and Primary Based Industries such as Pulp and Paper and Agrochemicals. The New Zealand Chemicals distribution planned venture will be helped by Maree Raffles, the company’s new representative for the New Zealand markets, who has an experience of over fifteen years in the country’s chemical distribution market.

Raffles will be responsible for Personal care/Cleaning, Food and Pharmaceuticals distribution in the country. As it is, details as to what Brenntag’s investment plans are still sketchy. Brenntag is the global market leader in full-line chemical distribution (based on most recent market data).

Linking chemical manufacturers and chemical users, Brenntag provides business-to-business distribution solutions for industrial and specialty chemicals globally. With over 10,000 products and a vast supplier base, Brenntag offers one-stop shop solutions to more than 150,000 customers. The value-added services include just-in-time delivery, product mixing, formulation, repackaging, inventory management, drum return handling as well as technical services.

Headquartered in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, Brenntag operates a global network with more than 400 locations in more than 60 countries. In 2009 the company realized global sales of EUR 6.4 billion (USD 8.9 billion) with approximately 11,000 employees.  Brenntag has successfully expanded to become the world market leader in full-line chemical distribution based on sales according to 2008 data.

The company began its first overseas business expansion 44 years ago, subsequently accelerated global growth over the past two decades, much of the growth being enabled by selective acquisition investments in key growth areas around the globe. The company’s most recent milestone acquisition was the purchase in late 2008 of the distribution business of Rhodia, giving Brenntag the first distribution presence in the growing Asia Pacific market. It is as well in the distribution of acids and alkaline solutions, solvents, solids and salts, cleaning and degreasing agents and chemicals for the treatment of water and sewage.