Multi million pound investment in colour from Dulux Trade Paint

ICI Paints AkzoNobel, parent company of Dulux Trade, has announced a significant level of funding as part of its major colour strategy, which will give professional specifiers access to cutting edge colour production.

In support of the wealth of colour services that Dulux Trade currently offers the architect and interior design community, the multi-million pound investment takes the form of a nationwide roll-out of intuitive new tinting machines for merchants. As a result, Dulux Trade is sharing its position as the colour authority with merchants - and therefore the painting contractors carrying out the work that architects and designers have specified - reinforcing the company's commitment to colour accuracy.

The new Dulux Trade tinting machines are amongst the highest performing on the market; they are cleaner, use less energy and have a faster simultaneous dispense method than other models. Thus making the tinting process even more fluid and efficient for contractors, and in turn, specifiers.

Free digital resources such as the Dulux Trade colour palette tool, which plugs in to existing design software packages such as Photoshop, Autocad, Architcad and Sketchup, eliminate complicated colour conversions between the design and specification stages, and further support the drive for colour accuracy. What's more, via the Dulux Trade website, specifiers can easily check which products in the Dulux Trade range are available in any particular colour.

Ann Noble, Senior Marketing Manager for Colour at Dulux Trade, comments: "We are recognised as the leading colour expert, and these tinting machines are just one part of the huge effort that Dulux Trade puts into ensuring colour accuracy for our customers, whether they're an architect, interior designer, facilities manager or a professional painter and decorator.

"We use the most accurate industry methods to manufacture our colour cards - each colour chip is individually matched by a colour expert. In addition we offer decorators extensive colour support and as we have close collaborative working relationships with tinting machine manufacturers, this means we have control of the colour supply chain. This all leads to exemplary colour accuracy for decorators and their customers.

"The decision to make this substantial investment in improving specifiers' access to industry-leading tinting technology and colour accuracy forms a major part of our colour strategy going forwards; our tinting machines have always been at the forefront of the industry, but this takes merchants' colour production capabilities to the next level still.

"After a tough couple of years for the architect and design community, it's absolutely imperative that we continue to support this vital customer base, and give them the tools they need to ensure their businesses can thrive."