Henkel expands manufacturing along with the Application Engineering Center launch

By Staff Report February 27, 2025 2:11 pm IST

Henkel has opened a new Application Engineering Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and an adhesive materials manufacturing plant in Kurkumbh, near Pune.

Henkel launched a state-of-the-art Application Engineering Center in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, expanding its Adhesive Technologies business in the electronics sector. The company will also be setting up an adhesive materials manufacturing plant for the electronics sector at its multi-technology manufacturing site in Kurkumbh, near Pune. These investments promote localsation, innovation, and accelerated product development to meet the rapidly evolving demands of the region’s electronics industry. As India’s electronics industry is projected to grow exponentially in the next few years, fuelled by government initiatives such as Make in India and PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) schemes, Henkel’s expanded footprint positions it to strongly support this rapid growth.

Located in Tamil Nadu—a key hub for global electronics manufacturing—the 17,000 sq. ft. Chennai facility is designed to accelerate new product introductions (NPIs) and reduce time-to-market for customers. The centre houses five specialised labs dedicated to advanced adhesive solutions and thermal management materials, essential for enhancing the reliability, durability, and sleek designs of smartphones, wearables, and other consumer electronics. Equipped with state-of-the-art dispensing systems, vacuum impregnation technologies for device waterproofing, and high-precision material analysis tools, the centre enables rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept testing, and product validation. This centre will enhance Henkel’s global innovation footprint, complementing its existing sites in Germany, the US, China, Singapore, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.  

Wen Zhou, Corporate Vice President – Electronics, Henkel Adhesive Technologies, shared that these investments are a natural progression of the company’s growth in India and the electronic market’s supply chain diversification. “Henkel meets our customers where they are,” said Wen. “We have had established Indian operations for a long time, and with customers intensifying their operations in the region, we are investing in additional local capabilities to deliver collaborative NPI and product validation expertise with more immediacy.”

The new plant in Kurkumbh will enhance Henkel’s capabilities in high-performance adhesive and coating solutions. The plant will benefit from the industry 4.0-based smart factory system deployed at the Kurkumbh manufacturing site, which enhances operational efficiency and product quality while minimising downtime.