Allnex invests €12M in new Austrian R&D centre for environmentally friendly coating resins

allnex, a global leader in sustainable and innovative resins for industrial coatings, has announced the construction of a new state-of-the-art R&D centre in Werndorf, Austria and a significant manufacturing investment in waterborne technologies. This project is an important part of allnex’s strategic plan to lead the industry in the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly resins and respond to the challenges of evolving trends.

The €12M investment will be made into a new, Research and Development centre, which will be located directly on the production site in Werndorf, Austria and the modernisation and expansion of production facilities for the manufacture of next generation waterborne products.

"R&D is of strategic importance to allnex and the establishment of product development in proximity of production will enable us to translate innovations into products even faster,” said Goetz Pelikan, Managing Director of Allnex Austria GmbH.

The main focus of the new R&D centre will be the development of new low-VOC, waterborne and VOC-compliant resins and additives for the global coatings markets. It is also an investment into digitalisation, as the latest automated, high throughput synthesis and application equipment will be installed. This equipment will increase the overall effectiveness of the laboratory and increase speed to market of new, sustainable solutions. This investment will allow allnex to push innovation and product development to new heights.

"Delivering industry-targeted, sustainable solutions that advance our customer’s portfolios and meet future needs to improve the planet and our customers’ business, is our clear objective. This new and highly sophisticated research centre coupled with waterborne factory upgrades, will reduce our time to market with sustainable, differentiated products and it supports us to maintain our leadership position,” said Ruben Mannien, Executive Vice President – LRA.

Construction of the centre will begin in October 2021 and is scheduled for completion in Q3, 2022.