Henkel starts 2024 with the opening of a new R&D centre in Shanghai. This will become the largest dedicated innovation and development facility on the Asian continent. The company hopes to attract scientific-technical talent and strengthen local R&D capabilities in hair care and other household care products.
Henkel's new plant has more than 2,500 square metres and also provides the possibility of future expansion should the need arise in the future. The centre also complies with sustainability standards, has state-of-the-art equipment and integrates six functional areas: advanced research, consumer centre, product development, packaging design, chemical and physical analysis and product evaluation.
As the company itself points out in its press release, the centre will be a pioneer in advanced research and will serve to explore cutting-edge technologies. Henkel will be able to conduct research into 3D packaging printing to enhance packaging design and rapid prototyping to validate the performance of packaging during its useful life.
Frank Meyer, Corporate Senior Vice President of R&D for Henkel Consumer Brands, is very positive about what this new centre means for the company: "Throughout our 147-year history, Henkel has consistently revolutionised consumer markets, positively impacting the lives of millions of people with our innovative products. The new R&D centre, one of our integrated facilities with consumer centres around the world, will contribute to a strong global research network spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In anticipation of the impact of this state-of-the-art facility, we intend to deepen our understanding of evolving consumer behaviours, strengthening Henkel's commitment to pioneering cutting-edge technologies tailored to both local and global markets."