May 11, 2026

Investment into advanced testing capabilities under state-of-the-art production conditions

Henkel opens upgraded Packaging Competence Center to facilitate future-ready packaging solutions
Düsseldorf – The packaging industry is being rewritten. New sustainability regulations, rising demand for circular solutions, and the shift to digitalized manufacturing are raising the bar, requiring faster innovation and closer collaboration. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is answering that call with the inauguration of its extensively modernized Packaging Competence Center in Düsseldorf: a single hub where hands-on collaboration turns ideas into industrial reality.
“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 comprehensive modernization of the Packaging Competence Center builds on Henkel’s strategic partnership with Nordmeccanica that was announced in May 2025 and is focused on driving innovation and sustainability in the flexible packaging industry. The center boasts new, cutting-edge machinery, creating a practical testing environment that replicates state-of-the-art production conditions. This gives customers the ability to test adhesive and coating solutions under realistic conditions and validate for industrial use and scale 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.”

A site built for future-readiness
Two new machines from Nordmeccanica, the Super Combi 5000 and Super Simplex SL e800, enable all standard lamination and coating processes used across the industry. Combined with five flexible application trolleys with a unique gearless flexo coating technology, and expanded digitalization for systematic data collection, the Henkel Packaging Competence Center now meets the most advanced industrial standards. 
“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.”
In parallel, Henkel has also invested in its testing area for pressure sensitive adhesive applications in the same building. Modern coating systems as well as UV activation and measurement systems complement the equipment in this laboratory area. With these additions, Henkel collaborates closely with its customers to create the latest solutions for the Specialty Tapes and Labels industry.
With the modernized Packaging Competence Center, Henkel Adhesive Technologies is adding a new dimension to its seamless, integrated customer journey by connecting it with the neighboring Inspiration Center Düsseldorf. From chemistry development to application testing, industrial validation, and training, all key steps of the product life cycle are mapped – from the design phase through to recycling with the company’s in-house recyclability testing lab. Henkel also supports companies with offerings such as the Converter’s Academy, the PSA Academy and additional customer training, helping them better understand current application technologies, master them reliably and transfer them into production faster.
“Achieving our number one target, true sustainability in packaging, demands strong collaboration across the value chain,” says Ethner. “This is not just about new machines or buildings: It’s about bringing experience and expertise together to move the industry forward with our customers and our partners.”

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 for adhesives, sealants and coatings. With Consumer Brands, the company holds leading positions especially in laundry & home care and hair in many markets and categories around the world. The company's three strongest brands are Loctite, Persil and Schwarzkopf. In fiscal 2025, Henkel reported sales of about 20.5 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of around 3.0 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 specific targets. Henkel was founded in 1876 and today employs a diverse team of about 47,000 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

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

Photo material is available at www.henkel.com/press

Contact	Brandi Schuster	Nadja Normann
Phone	+49 151 6800 9062 	+49 2602 950 99-09
Email	brandi.schuster@henkel.com	njn@additiv.de

	Henkel AG & Co. KGaA                                additiv • a brand of additiv pr GmbH & Co. KG

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

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

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

The Henkel Packaging Competence Center meets the most advanced industrial standards.