Henkel celebrates Inauguration of Adhesive Technologies´ Inspiration Center Düsseldorf

Henkel today inaugurated its new Inspiration Center Düsseldorf (ICD). With an investment volume of 130 million euros, the Adhesive Technologies business unit has built a state-of-the-art and unique global innovation and customer center on the premises of the company headquarters over the past few years and has been gradually commissioning it since mid-2021. With a floor area of 47,000 square meters, the ICD provides space for 30 laboratories, 4 technology centers and more than 650 Henkel experts. At the same time, the new building serves as a global customer center where Adhesive Technologies presents its entire technology portfolio of adhesives, sealants and functional coatings and works on new solutions together with customers from over 800 industry segments. The inauguration of the ICD will take place during a multi-day customer event focused on innovation and sustainability.

“The ICD marks the largest single investment in our company's history and is a key element of our strategic framework for purposeful growth. With this state-of-the-art building, which is unique in the industry, we have created the infrastructure to take the innovation capabilities of Adhesive Technologies to the next level,” said Henkel CEO Carsten Knobel. “In 1922, Henkel started producing adhesives for its own use – today we are very proud to celebrate another milestone in the 100-year success story of Adhesive Technologies, which will further expand our leading position in the adhesives business. As such, the ICD is a prime example that embodies both our pioneering spirit for sustainable action and our long-term entrepreneurial thinking.”

“The ICD reinforces our commitment to further strengthen our globally leading portfolio and know-how in materials science and to create value for our customers,” added Jan-Dirk Auris, Executive Vice President Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “We offer our employees here an inspiring working environment that promotes knowledge exchange and daily collaboration and uses state-of-the-art technologies. At the same time, the ICD brings our entire portfolio to life for our customers and enables close collaboration with them and with external partners on novel future-oriented solutions. Our focus is particularly on sustainable innovations that contribute, for example, to CO2 reduction for our customers or to new solutions for a circular economy.”

The heart of the building is a large light-flooded atrium including a coffee bar, which promotes the exchange of ideas between employees and provides space for events with partners, suppliers, customers, universities and start-ups. The ICD is the most sustainable building at the company's site in Düsseldorf. It is designed to be resource-efficient, has a rainwater collection system, highly efficient refrigeration technology and meets the highest building insulation requirements.

The building offers space for more than 650 employees from the areas of research and development, product development, application technology, technical service and innovation. They use advanced digital tools and processes to improve knowledge sharing, increase efficiency and foster open dialog. This includes the use of digital platform technologies, for example, an innovative cloud-based tool for leaner, faster and highly collaborative innovation. In addition, the ICD has a modern, data-driven laboratory where new formulations are automatically prepared, tested and verified around the clock. This enables a faster product development cycle and reduced time to market for new products by transforming data into valuable insights that lay the foundation for innovative new technologies. The ICD is closely connected with the global network of research and application centers from Adhesive Technologies to enable tailored solutions of global technologies for local markets as well.

The central focus of Adhesive Technologies' innovation activities is on developing sustainable solutions for its customers. The business unit is consistently working on products that enable resource efficiency in production and during use throughout the entire life cycle and that are based on renewable or recycled raw materials. In addition, Henkel offers a growing portfolio for the recyclability of, for example, packaging or consumer goods and the repairability of everyday products, and is working intensively on new debonding solutions to drive efficient debonding of a wide range of materials across industries, thereby increasing longevity and recyclability.