New facility targets growth sectors in Australia and New Zealand

Sydney, Australia – Henkel Australia has officially opened the upgraded Innovation and Application Lab in Seven Hills, Sydney, Australia. As a global leader in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings, the upgraded facility positions Henkel at the forefront of innovation for key growth sectors in Australia and New Zealand, namely food and beverage, packaging, engineered wood and general manufacturing and maintenance.

Aamir Qureshi (left), Operations & Supply Chain Manager, and Stephen Liu (right), Product Development Chemist, cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening of the upgraded Innovation and Application Lab of Henkel Adhesive Technologies in Sydney.

 Daniel Rudolph, President of Henkel Australia and New Zealand, said, "Henkel's customers are looking for the latest innovations to increase performance and efficiency, and improve their sustainability footprint. The upgrading of our Innovation and Application Lab allows us to test and tailor solutions to meet the requirements of the local market, ranging from the latest in product design and food safety standards to adapting to a circular economy."

Mark Dorn, President of Henkel Asia-Pacific and Global Head of Craftsmen, Construction and Professional Division, Henkel Adhesive Technologies, said, "As a global market leader in the global markets for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings we continue to grow our innovation capabilities across the Asia Pacific. Our upgraded Innovation and Application Lab in Sydney enables us to offer the latest product innovations to the market. From food safety and sustainability for the packaging industry to raising the standards in engineered wood production, we are excited to offer game-changing solutions to our customers."

The Innovation and Application Lab is co-located at Henkel's adhesive manufacturing facility. This facilitates a rapid transition and reduces the time to market from product concept and development to volume production.

Micheal Hajj, Head of Technical for Adhesive Technologies at Henkel Australia and New Zealand, highlighted several advanced technical capabilities of the lab.

Using state-of-the-art equipment, the lab conducts performance testing of customers' samples to meet the international standards for engineered wood, namely AS/NZS 1328 for glue laminated timber and AS 5068-2006 for timber finger joints in structural products. Henkel is also able to validate the performance of new primer and wood species with our adhesives.

With the Anton Parr rheometer, Henkel chemists can stringently test complex rheological behavior in food packaging solutions.

Tapping into its polymerization capability, the lab is looking into developing customized water-based technologies for the Australia and New Zealand markets.

For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.