Akzo Nobel Worldwide Reviews

Pros

The amount of work was plentiful. The salary was OK. The benefits were exceptional. The management was supportive but they were over bearing.

Cons

Priorities changed constantly, so it was difficult to maintain a steady pace on a project. I felt that upper management had a master plan to influence middle management to berate employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Safety is more important than productivity. Management was too stern and rigid that produced fear instead of respect from the employees.

Pros

They have a great benefits package. They have lots of tools in place to help you succeed. They are the largest Coating and Chemical Company in the world.

Cons

The leaders of the company do massive emailing to everyone in the company and never get out in the field. It would be more beneficial to get from behind the desk and out into the field. It was formerly known as ICI and they are trying to rebrand with no advertising. This is hard to do without advertising.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to invest in advertising. Also, need to expand who you are going after. Told not to go after little painters. Only want to go after really big contractors. But also want to protect margins. Can not get margins from big guys.

Pros

-Great staff
- safety oriented
- largest paint company in Canada
- organized well
- Good managers
- Adaptive
- encourage growth
- Good Benefits
- understanding managers

Cons

- Lots of change within the company(Canada)
- Some uncertainty
- a lot of divisional management (Canada) Supply chain answers to no one
- lots of makeshift solutions that become permanent
- Inconsistent bonus payments

Advice to Senior Management

AkzoNobel just took over the ICI, and as its parent company should be giving proper direction. Currently the power struggle between the smaller sub company Sico and the much larger sub company ICI has caused a lot of problems. By settling whom answers to whom the company would run smoothly. Also, a typical hierarchical removal of bonuses is not the best step to maintaining Staff.

Pros

Akzo is a very large organization and when it completed it's purchase of ICI in the US the future looked bright. Being a large corporation there are many opportunities to grow if you know the right people.

Cons

Execution and accountability are huge issues. People are in positions of Senior level due to their tenure or relationship with another member of the same management level. It has nothing to do with your knowledge or experience.

Senior management is out of touch and relies heavily on middle management to feed them data and industry information. Unfortunately, middle management often does not leave their office to see the reality or perspective of the field. This disengagement only allows for late strategies that are years behind the curve and a loss of market share year over year.

Advice to Senior Management

Its time for a change of guard. Really see the field and all of troubles instead of the dog and pony show. Engage in a culture where transparency and honesty are respected and encouraged. Act on industry news sooner than later and strategize 3-5 years in the future on your own game. Playing catch up seems to be the only way this organization operates.

Pros

great products and brands, excellent reputation

Cons

no management support, very low salaries, people are used like tissues.

Advice to Senior Management

please respect your employees. being in the middle east does not allow you to treat your employees like they do not have a brain. communicate changes,important issues and ask for their advice being on the field.

Pros

Large company with global opportunities. Good compensation relative to competition at senior management levels. Good comprehensive benefits package. Brand leader.

Cons

Lots of restructuring taking place in the past few years as with most manufacturers in the business of producing construciton related products.

Advice to Senior Management

When acquiring another company you should be more compasionate about the people who have long careers with that company when calculating how to save money by elimination positions.

Pros

Flexable hours, if properly planed.
Great products.
Good benfits.

Cons

Poor management.
Lack of support for customers as well as employees.
Cost cutting gone to far.
Ran too lean to be effective.
Poor distribution.

Advice to Senior Management

Respect the people that represent the company.

Pros

- Great place to gain experience within a big firm
- Great opportunities are offered to advance your career and to learn different disciplines

Cons

- Very political environment which sometimes goes at the cost of business performance.
- Akzo Nobel can sometimes come across as arrogant towards customers

Advice to Senior Management

-

Pros

work enviroment is lay back

Cons

opportunity at internal growth is low

Advice to Senior Management

encourage people to grow

Pros

Large infusion of capital by Akzo Nobel for commercials, sponserships, and PR. New product line, new advertisments, and great benefits.

Cons

Seems like the some of the same folks from ICI are still running the show. Why? There is no professional training program as found in other large corp's. Why doesn't Strongsville promote capable sales reps from the field, instead of the typical "who you know folks"?

Advice to Senior Management

Akzo Nobel-provide your field people a professional training program.