After three years of research, development and testing by AkzoNobel researchers, scientists, technical and sales teams worldwide, the company is proud to announce the North American launch of its one-stop application waterborne basecoat, Sikkens Autowave Optima.
The basecoat is an addition to AkzoNobel’s Sikkens premium line and will be launched over the next several months throughout North America.
“We are excited to introduce our new generation basecoat,” said John Griffin, director of AkzoNobel’s automotive and specialty coatings business in North America. “This basecoat reflects the DNA of our company and our commitment to addressing the key challenges of body shops -- sustainability and efficiency -- saving valuable time and energy through our advanced coating technology.”
“The product is unique in that it's a one-and-a-half coat, also referred to as a ‘single visit coat’ type technology,” explained Fred Daoust, AkzoNobel’s country manager for Canada and the executive sponsor for the North America launch. “You get that hide in one and a half coats versus the traditional type products, which decreases processing time.”
As a result, he said shops can improve cycle time, thereby increasing throughput, reducing consumption and getting better coverage overall.
Sikkens Autowave Optima will be launched over the next several months in North America.
“Autowave Optima will shine in comparison to other products because it's going to save time and energy,” said Katie Feldt, who led the launch project team for North American Commercial Marketing. “You're getting more jobs through the paint booth using Autowave Optima and you're doing it by reducing your material requirements.”
Daoust said the basecoat performs at a very high level, has good workability and is applicator friendly.
“The new product is part of AkzoNobel’s ongoing innovation that can help our shops be more productive and efficient, ultimately improving their bottom line,” he noted.
Using the new basecoat, shops are expected to get up to 50% faster processing time compared to conventional basecoat application methods, while realizing up to 15% material savings.
“Certainly, we have an ambition as a company, as do the other paint companies, to sell more volume every year but we’re quite happy to have shops need less material,” said Daoust. “It’s good for everybody in the industry.”
This is especially important to help control costs in collision repair facilities.
“This isn't about the price of the can of paint,” noted Daoust. “It’s about the bigger picture -- the faster processing time and quantity savings that a shop is going to get, increased productivity and energy savings being a one-and-a-half coat.”
“The high pigmentation helps it cover better in fewer coatings, providing perfect coverage in just 1.5 layers instead of two layers,” explained Feldt.
With 30 years of waterborne expertise, Daoust said the basecoat was created to provide the quality and performance AkzoNobel’s premium basecoats are known for while meeting the highest OEM standards.
He said Autowave Optima is easy to apply and blend and can be used for any repair in any climate. The one-stop application does not need flash-off between layers and only requires technicians to go into the spray booth once.
AkzoNobel team members said it delivers the highest color accuracy and a reliable color match through a 100% digital color process with AkzoNobel’s Automatchic® spectrophotometer and MIXIT® color retrieval software. The complete toner assortment covers a wide range of solid, metallic, pearl, candy and special effect car colors in the market.
AkzoNobel prides itself on developing products with sustainability in mind.
“It is such a focus area for AkzoNobel, and it means something at the heart of this company,” said Feldt. “We undergo the most rigorous rating system as it pertains to sustainability and every single sustainable element about this product will ultimately save our customers money.”
The company estimates the fast application times could translate into 60% lower energy costs and a reduction in carbon emissions of 60% compared to a conventional basecoat along with 380 g/l VOC (10% lower than the 420 g/l legislation).
AkzoNobel launched its first waterborne basecoat three decades ago. Since then, Griffin said the company has set new standards in waterborne basecoat technology working across three continents.
The product was developed with AkzoNobel’s global team at the company’s manufacturing and research and development headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands.
“It was very much a collaborative effort from all regions and included technical experts as well as research and development colleagues from North America who looked at the different application processes and tested everything,” noted Feldt.
She stressed the importance of having all the regional teams involved in the process to ensure the product met the needs of different climates.
“It’s imperative to have that collaboration and makes the product more robust so it can serve the industry worldwide in a truly global fashion,” said Feldt.
Selected customers of AkzoNobel’s premium brand Sikkens had an opportunity to test Autowave Optima in their facilities in North America since June 2024 and in Europe since December 2023.
“It’s rewarding to hear the feedback from test shops that we've been working with,” said Feldt.
“We've been able to collect a lot of good data with the test market,” added Daoust. “The feedback we’ve received is that the product blends very well.”
“Right off the bat, the biggest thing for me using Autowave Optima is less time spent with each cycle. From mixing to painting, boom bang -- you’re done. It was noticeable within the first few days of using the product,” said Chad Lantz, a painter at CSN Blue Mountain in Collingwood, Ontario.
The company works closely with automakers to ensure AkzoNobel’s products meet OEM guidelines.
“We always recommend referring to the OEM procedures first,” said Ryan Brown, western technical manager for AkzoNobel. “AkzoNobel team members are also available for hands-on support and training.”
Feldt said training is critical for the product, which uses a different application method than the traditional basecoat.
“AkzoNobel’s technical managers, already well versed in this method, are working to make sure that our partners are well educated,” said Feldt. “The customer feedback continues to improve after training has been conducted.”
“We put the customer at the heart of what we do so this launch celebrates more than just a basecoat,” said Griffin. “It is a celebration of everything we offer our customers, from advanced product systems to our state-of-the-art digital solutions and services.”
These include AkzoNobel’s Refinish+ digital platform to track KPIs and improve business performance and the Carbeat® production workflow dashboard that helps to drive operational efficiency.
“Fred and I have worked so hard on this and we're pleased to see how well it’s turned out,” said Feldt. “We believe that this is really a game changer for our customers. We are excited for it to launch and get into our customers’ hands, realize the benefits and continue their growth path with AkzoNobel and Sikkens.”
“This new generation waterborne basecoat technology demonstrates that sustainability, productivity and profitability can exist in harmony,” added Daoust.
For more information, visit www.sikkensvr.com/autowave-optima.
Stacey Phillips Ronak