The packaging industry is under pressure—and Henkel Adhesive Technologies is moving to get ahead of it.

 

New sustainability rules, rising demand for circular materials, and the rapid shift toward digitalized manufacturing are forcing the sector to reinvent itself. In response, Henkel has unveiled a significantly modernized Packaging Competence Center in Düsseldorf, designed as a hands-on hub where innovation moves directly from concept to industrial application.

 

“The choice of adhesive or coating made today are defining the packages that will reach the shelves tomorrow,” says Dirk Martin, Head of Henkel Packaging Adhesives and Coatings in Europe. 

 

“With our Packaging Competence Center, we are making sure those choices are the right ones by giving our customers and partners a unique environment to develop, test, and scale the solutions that will shape the future of packaging: faster, smarter and more sustainably than ever before."

 

The upgrade is anchored in Henkel’s strategic partnership with Nordmeccanica, announced in May 2025, aimed at accelerating innovation and sustainability in flexible packaging. The center now features advanced machinery that replicates real production environments, allowing customers to test adhesives and coatings under industrial conditions before scaling up.

 

“A strategic partnership only creates value when it delivers results in practice,” says Nordmeccanica Vice President Vincenzo Cerciello. 

 

“With our machinery now at the core of the modernized Packaging Competence Center, we are turning shared ambition into concrete capabilities, enabling the packaging industry to test, refine, and scale solutions with a level of precision and speed that simply wasn't possible before.”

 

At the heart of the facility are two new Nordmeccanica machines—the Super Combi 5000 and Super Simplex SL e800—capable of handling all major lamination and coating processes used across the industry. These are supported by five application trolleys featuring gearless flexo coating technology, along with expanded digital systems that enable systematic data collection and analysis.

 

“The site is built for where the industry is heading: recyclable solutions and fewer chemicals of concern,” says Kai Ethner, Director of Application Engineering for Henkel Packaging Adhesives and Coatings in Europe. 

 

"For example, coatings are essential to this transition, enabling the functional mono-material packaging designs the market increasingly demands. 

 

"With a particular focus on gravure and flexographic coating applications for plastic and paper substrates, we are helping our customers test faster, scale sooner, and bring recyclable solutions to market with greater impact. Henkel is covering its complete product portfolio ranging from solvent-free, water-based, solvent-based as well as coatings solutions.”

 

Henkel has also strengthened its testing capabilities for pressure-sensitive adhesives within the same facility. New coating systems, UV activation tools, and measurement technologies now support development for the specialty tapes and labels segment.

 

The upgraded center is also tightly integrated with Henkel’s neighboring Inspiration Center Düsseldorf, creating a connected ecosystem that spans chemistry development, application testing, industrial validation, and training. 

 

The full product journey—from design to recyclability testing—is now mapped under one roof, supported by initiatives like the Converter’s Academy and PSA Academy, aimed at accelerating real-world adoption of new technologies.

 

With this expansion, Henkel is positioning itself not just as a materials supplier, but as a full-scale innovation partner for a packaging industry racing to reinvent itself.