Modernized Henkel Packaging Competence Center Supports Industrial Scaling of Recyclable Packaging Solutions

Opening of the Packaging Competence Center (from left to right): Vincenzo Cerciello – Nordmeccanica; Kai Ethner, Dirk Martin and Rajat Agrawal – Henkel; Antonio Cerciello and Alfredo Cerciello – Nordmeccanica

(IN BRIEF) Henkel has opened a comprehensively modernized Packaging Competence Center in Düsseldorf to help packaging manufacturers accelerate the development and industrial scaling of sustainable packaging solutions. The upgraded site includes advanced machinery from strategic partner Nordmeccanica, expanded digital testing capabilities, and facilities designed to replicate modern production conditions. The center supports adhesive and coating innovation across recyclable mono-material packaging, flexible packaging, specialty tapes, and labels while integrating industrial testing, recyclability assessment, and technical training into a single collaborative environment. Henkel says the investment is aimed at helping the packaging industry meet rising sustainability demands, evolving regulations, and increasing expectations for circular packaging solutions.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜSSELDORF, 11-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Henkel has unveiled a significantly upgraded Packaging Competence Center in Düsseldorf, strengthening its capabilities to support the development of future-ready packaging solutions amid growing industry pressure for sustainability, recyclability, and faster innovation cycles. The modernization reflects the company’s broader strategy to help packaging manufacturers adapt to changing regulatory requirements, increasing demand for circular packaging systems, and the accelerating digitalization of industrial production.

The revamped facility serves as a collaborative hub where customers, technology partners, and packaging specialists can jointly develop, test, and validate adhesive and coating technologies under real-world industrial conditions. By recreating state-of-the-art manufacturing environments, the center enables packaging companies to move more efficiently from concept development to commercial-scale production.

The new machines enable advanced testing capabilities under state-of-the-art production conditions.

According to Dirk Martin, decisions made today around adhesives and coatings will directly influence the packaging solutions consumers encounter in the future. He said the upgraded center has been designed to help customers accelerate the creation of smarter and more sustainable packaging systems while improving speed-to-market and industrial scalability.

The modernization builds on the strategic collaboration between Henkel
and Nordmeccanica announced in 2025, a partnership aimed at advancing innovation within the flexible packaging sector. As part of the expansion, the site now incorporates advanced machinery from Nordmeccanica, including the Super Combi 5000 and Super Simplex SL e800 systems, which support the full range of standard lamination and coating processes used in modern packaging manufacturing.

The updated Packaging Competence Center also includes five flexible application trolleys equipped with gearless flexographic coating technology alongside expanded digital infrastructure for systematic process monitoring and data collection. These additions allow customers to conduct highly precise testing and industrial validation before scaling solutions for commercial production.

Vincenzo Cerciello said the integration of Nordmeccanica’s machinery into the facility transforms the partnership into practical industrial capabilities, enabling packaging manufacturers to refine and scale new solutions with greater speed and accuracy than previously possible.

The Düsseldorf site has been specifically configured to support the packaging industry’s transition toward recyclable materials and reduced use of chemicals of concern. Kai Ethner noted that coatings are becoming increasingly important in enabling mono-material packaging designs that are easier to recycle while still meeting performance demands for protection and durability.

The facility focuses particularly on gravure and flexographic coating applications for both plastic and paper substrates, helping customers evaluate recyclable packaging concepts more rapidly and prepare them for large-scale production. The center also supports Henkel’s full portfolio of technologies, including solvent-free, solvent-based, water-based, and coating solutions.

Alongside investments in flexible packaging capabilities, Henkel has also expanded its testing infrastructure for pressure-sensitive adhesive applications used in specialty tapes and labels. The laboratory area now includes upgraded coating systems together with UV activation and measurement technologies, allowing closer collaboration with customers developing advanced labeling and tape solutions.

The Packaging Competence Center is closely connected with the neighboring Inspiration Center Düsseldorf, creating an integrated environment covering multiple stages of packaging development. The setup allows customers to move from material chemistry and product design through industrial application testing, recyclability assessment, validation, and technical training within a single innovation ecosystem.

Henkel also supports industry knowledge transfer through initiatives such as the Converter’s Academy and PSA Academy, designed to help manufacturers better understand evolving application technologies and accelerate implementation into commercial production processes.

Ethner emphasized that achieving truly sustainable packaging solutions requires deeper cooperation across the entire packaging value chain, adding that the modernization effort is intended not only to introduce new technologies, but also to strengthen collaboration between industry partners, technical experts, and customers.

About Nordmeccanica
Founded in 1978 in Piacenza, Nordmeccanica is the world’s leading producer of machinery for flexible packaging, with a 2024 turnover exceeding 100 million euros, 90% of which is generated abroad. The company controls 75% of the global market for coating and lamination machinery for flexible packaging, with nearly 4,000 machines installed internationally, mainly for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Nordmeccanica has over 300 direct employees and operates four manufacturing plants in Italy, in addition to plants in Shanghai, China, and New York, USA, with direct operations in India and Argentina and a network of representatives in 87 countries worldwide. More information at www.nordmeccanica.com

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SOURCE: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA