Henkel’s Adhesive Technologies business unit recently officially inaugurated its new production facility for aerospace applications in Montornès del Vallès (Montornès), Spain. With an investment of about €35 million (approximately $39.4 million), the company aims to serve the constantly growing demand for high-performance solutions supporting key trends in the global aerospace industry, such as lightweighting, fuel efficiency, and automation. During the opening event, Henkel welcomed the mayor of Montornès, the German Counsel General, and customers. 

“Aerospace is a very attractive growth market for us, because the global demand for new passenger aircrafts is expected to double over the next 20 years,” said Jan-Dirk Auris, executive vice president of Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “With the new high-tech facility, we significantly expand the capacities for our leading high-impact solutions that are specified on all major aircraft platforms and increase our capabilities to develop next-generation materials for future programs. At the same time, we enlarge our global production and distribution network and enhance the proximity to our strong customer base in Europe.” 

The aerospace plant in Montornès is located near Henkel’s existing adhesives production plant for the automotive industry. The new 14,000-sq-m facility features dedicated production, labs, offices, and warehouse capacities. In addition, Henkel reports that it is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies to ensure traceability and transparency for customers and to exceed the high standards for quality and safety in the industry. Designed as a smart operations site, the facility uses the latest Industry 4.0 technology for collaborative engineering and manufacturing execution. The new plant will become Henkel’s European hub for the aerospace industry and will increase the company’s capabilities for global customers as well. 

According to Henkel, the new plant also meets high sustainability standards. As a result of a holistic concept, including the use of renewable energies and smart technologies for equipment and infrastructure, it will reportedly be the first production building in Spain with the golden DGNB certification. After the ramp-up phase, the first customer deliveries of the new facility are planned for the fourth quarter of 2019. 

For more information, visit www.henkel.com.