Henkel has inaugurated a comprehensively modernized Packaging Competence Center in Düsseldorf, Germany, strengthening its capabilities to develop, test and scale advanced adhesive and coating solutions for the packaging industry.
The upgraded facility is designed to provide customers and partners with a realistic production environment where packaging materials, adhesives and coatings can be tested under industrial conditions before being scaled up.
A key part of the modernization is Henkel’s collaboration with Nordmeccanica, which has supplied two new machines—the Super Combi 5000 and Super Simplex SL e800. These systems enable testing of standard lamination and coating processes used across the flexible packaging industry.
The center also features five flexible application trolleys incorporating gearless flexographic coating technology, along with expanded digitalization for systematic data collection. The combination is intended to help packaging manufacturers evaluate materials and processes more efficiently and accelerate industrial validation.
Focus on recyclable packaging
Henkel says the upgraded facility has been developed with the industry's shift toward recyclable packaging and reduced use of chemicals of concern in mind. Coatings can play an important role in enabling functional mono-material packaging structures while maintaining required barrier and performance properties.
The center supports coating applications using gravure and flexographic technologies across plastic and paper substrates. Henkel's portfolio covers solvent-free, water-based and solvent-based adhesive and coating technologies.
The company has also expanded testing capabilities for pressure-sensitive adhesive applications, including modern coating systems, UV activation and measurement technologies for the specialty tapes and labels sector.
Connecting development, testing and recyclability
The Packaging Competence Center is located alongside Henkel's Inspiration Center Düsseldorf, creating an integrated environment covering several stages of packaging development—from chemistry and application testing through industrial validation, training and recyclability assessment.
Henkel's Packaging Recyclab facility in Düsseldorf also supports packaging recyclability testing, helping companies evaluate packaging designs during development rather than only after commercialization.