Sassenheim, the Netherlands, 28 February 2008 – This year Lesonal celebrates its 150th anniversary. What started as a small paint company in Germany, has grown into a worldwide car repair brand of Akzo Nobel – the number one coatings company in the world.

Lesonal’s origins date back to 1858, when a German pharmacist decided to leave the pharmaceutical industry to concentrate on the manufacture of paint. The company quickly became successful selling paint for boats, coaches, furniture and home decoration, including a well-known line of radiator paints. They began supplying paints for cars in the 1920’s and were among the pioneers in the development of stoving enamels, producing the finish for the first car treated with these enamels — the Adler Junior Sport — in 1936. This proved to be a good move, and for years this market formed the basis of the company’s success.

Today the Lesonal product range meets the highest quality standards for repairs, with durable colors designed for the professional bodyshop. With its compact yet comprehensive range of products, Lesonal can handle any car repair. “150 years of experience has taught us that the customer is best served by reliability and user friendliness,” says Floris Bordewijk, Global Brand Manager Lesonal.

“In order to achieve long-term market success you have to make a difference, in the quality of your products as well as in your determination to give customers exactly what they need. Lesonal has done this from the start,” adds Mr. Bordewijk. “In line with the Lesonal philosophy of providing a good quality, compact and easy-to-use assortment, now more than ever Lesonal is the global car refinish brand of the future”.

If you’d like to find out more about Lesonal’s history, or about events in your area celebrating 150 years of the brand, please visit http://www.Lesonal.com

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For more information please contact:

Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes:

Floris.bordewijk@akzonobel.com, Global Brand Manager Lesonal

Tel. +31 (0)71 308 2384