March 08, 2023

Driving innovative footwear technologies with high-impact and sustainable solutions

Henkel opens new Application Center for Sports & Fashion solutions in India

Chennai – Henkel has launched a new Application Center in Vellore, India. The center will serve as a beacon of the company´s latest sustainable adhesive solutions for the sports industry, especially for footwear automation. With the opening Henkel aims to further drive innovation in the industry towards manufacturing excellence.

Henkel is constantly expanding its global innovation footprint to better adapt to ever-changing market trends. The Application Center in Vellore will be a part of Henkel’s global network of application, product development, and design centers across different countries, including China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. By leveraging this state-of-the-art facility, the company will scale competence for innovation and digitalization, allowing more agility to speed up time-to-market.  

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Rajat Agarwal, Global Head of Lifestyle at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, said: “We are committed to improving leather and footwear industry with high-impact, sustainable solutions. We have placed a particular focus on sustainability in the Indian market, and our investment is aligned with the goals of the Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme (IFLDP). With novel solutions, we enable customers to achieve sustainability targets and purposeful growth. This new center will further enable us to support the development of the footwear sector in terms of productivity, employment, and sustainability. This will ultimately contribute to India’s economic upgrading.”

Driving innovation through leading technologies and facilities 
The sports industry currently faces three major challenges – increasing demands for more sustainable production processes, rising labor costs, and production safety. Henkel enables customers to address these challenges with a diverse technology portfolio that includes solutions of toluene-free, water-based, PUR hot melt automation.

The new Application Center displays Henkel’s industry-leading solutions including advanced facilities and machines that facilitate testing and trials. It has future-oriented projects already in the pipeline. The center offers a platform for labs and factories to exchange technologies and fosters ideation and validation. 

Accelerating the sports industry with ESG and driving purposeful growth
With the purpose of ‘Pioneers at Heart for the Good of Generations’, Henkel endeavors to take initiatives across the realm of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) to drive purposeful growth for the industry. Amid Industry 4.0 and digitalization transformation, the footwear sector demands a higher quality labor force. Together with India’s Government and academies, Henkel will roll out further workforce development projects to equip personnel with automation expertise and a future-oriented mindset, promoting a skilled and world-leading workforce ecosystem for the industry, which will add impetus to local employment. 

As Henkel continues to drive innovative solutions, the company has also defined the intention of sustainable fashion – to reduce the impact on the environment and enrich the value of footwear and apparel. With its vision “Less Taken, More Given,” the Sports and Fashion team at Henkel Adhesive Technologies is dedicated to creating value for the environment and society with industry-leading sustainable solutions. Henkel will continue working more closely with industry partners, combining its expertise and experience to create long-lasting advantages and meet future needs.

About Henkel
With its brands, innovations and technologies, Henkel holds leading market positions worldwide in the industrial and consumer businesses. The business unit Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the market of adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. With Consumer Brands, the company holds leading positions especially in hair care and laundry & home care in many markets and categories around the world. The company's three strongest brands are Loctite, Persil and Schwarzkopf. In fiscal 2022, Henkel reported sales of more than 22 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of around 2.3 billion euros. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. Sustainability has a long tradition at Henkel, and the company has a clear sustainability strategy with concrete targets. Henkel was founded in 1876 and today employs a diverse team of more than 50,000 people worldwide – united by a strong corporate culture, shared values and a common purpose: "Pioneers at heart for the good of generations.” More information at www.henkel.com 

Contact	Sandhya Kedlaya	
	Henkel India	
Phone	+919833844631	
Email	sandhya.kedlaya@henkel.com

Henkel has opened a new Application for the Sports & Fashion Industry in Vellore, India.