Henkel is constructing an Adhesive Technologies innovation center at its Düsseldorf, Germany, headquarters. The EUR 130 million (US$147m) will house 350 people involved in developing new technologies and applications for a variety of industries.

“We want to take innovation capabilities for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings to the next level,” Henkel board member Jan-Dirk Auris declared. “Our goal is to improve the cross-team collaboration and knowledge exchange among our employees within a state-of-the-art and inspiring work environment.”  

The building will be an “interactive customer center” to give them experience in the technologies and “develop new high-impact solutions together.”

The seven-story building will include labs, research and testing facilities and open in 2020.

Uses for Henkel adhesives include making cars lighter, electronics more powerful and food packaging safety.

Henkel reports 130,000 adhesives customers in 800 industrial areas worldwide. Henkel has 26,000 employees in adhesives, including 8,000 technical specialists.

Founded in 1876 as Henkel & Cie, the parent corporation is Henkel AG & Co KGaA. Henkel reported 2017 sales of EUR 20 billion (US$22.7b), with adhesives accounting for EUR 9.4 billion (US$10.6b). Web: Henkel.com