Outlook
We are delivering towards our Winning together: 15 by 20 strategy and continue creating a fit-for-purpose organization for a focused paints and coatings company, contributing to the achievement of our 2020 guidance.
Demand trends differ per region and segment in an uncertain macro-economic environment. Raw material inflation is expected to stabilize during the second half of 2019. Continued pricing initiatives and cost-saving programs are in place to address the current challenges.
We continue executing our transformation to deliver the next €200 million cost savings by 2020, incurring one-off costs in 2019 and 2020.
We target a leverage ratio of between 1.0-2.0 times net debt/ EBITDA by the end of 2020 and commit to retain a strong investment grade credit rating.
Paint the Future goes beyond expectations
Our pioneering Paint the Future startup challenge proved to be a huge success, with five business agreements being awarded by AkzoNobel at the accelerator event held in May. Organized in conjunction with partner KPMG, the challenge attracted 160 submissions, with the 21 shortlisted startups being given the chance to collaborate with industry experts and further their solutions. The agreements are the first to emerge from a new innovation ecosystem which will help us to further push the boundaries of the paints and coatings industry and better meet customer needs.