Henkel CALB Battery Innovation Center Opens in China

Henkel and CALB Launch Battery Innovation Center

On September 29, Henkel and CALB signed a memorandum of understanding and opened the Henkel CALB Battery Innovation Center in Changzhou, China. The collaboration will initially concentrate on adhesive technologies and application solutions for new energy vehicle batteries. The companies said their first joint material development project has already completed core development cycles in approximately three months, establishing an initial foundation for faster collaborative development. The new center is intended to combine material expertise with application engineering capabilities, allowing the teams to address development requirements more directly within a battery manufacturing and end-use context.

Integrated Laboratory Supports Battery Material Development

The joint facility combines laboratory resources with application engineering capabilities to support development and validation work. The teams will be able to develop and characterize advanced materials, optimize application processes, simulate performance, and validate solutions under conditions designed to reflect battery manufacturing and actual end-use requirements. This integrated approach is intended to connect material development with practical application requirements, helping the partners evaluate how materials perform during processing and assembly. The center therefore provides a shared environment for testing and refining solutions before they are applied to relevant battery manufacturing processes.

Three-Year Cooperation Targets Advanced Polymer Materials

Under the three-year cooperation framework, Henkel and CALB plan to bring together more than 30 specialists across their joint development activities. The teams will formulate and characterize advanced polymer-based materials while evaluating product performance against application requirements. Their work will also cover dispensing and assembly process optimization, with digital modeling and simulation used as additional development tools. By combining these activities within the collaboration, the companies can investigate material behavior and processing requirements together rather than treating material formulation, application, and validation as separate development stages.

Joint Development Focuses on Battery Manufacturing Requirements

The cooperation is centered initially on technologies and solutions relevant to new energy vehicle batteries, with adhesive applications forming the first area of focus. The stated development process includes material formulation, characterization, performance evaluation, dispensing optimization, assembly optimization, and validation. The Changzhou center is designed to support these activities through laboratory and engineering capabilities that can reproduce conditions associated with battery manufacturing and end use. The approximately three-month core development cycle already achieved by the first joint project provides a demonstrated early result from the collaboration, while the three-year framework establishes a longer-term structure for additional joint material development.

Industry Impact & Outlook

The collaboration gives Henkel and CALB a dedicated framework for advancing battery-related materials and application processes through closer integration of chemistry, engineering, simulation, and validation. For the battery supply chain, this type of joint development can help connect material performance with manufacturing requirements and process optimization at an earlier stage. The immediate focus on adhesives and polymer-based materials also highlights the importance of material and assembly technologies alongside core battery cell development. Over the three-year cooperation period, the participating specialists are expected to continue evaluating materials and processes against battery manufacturing and end-use conditions, with the Changzhou center serving as the primary collaborative development environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Henkel CALB Battery Innovation Center?
The Henkel CALB Battery Innovation Center is a joint facility in Changzhou, China, established through a memorandum of understanding between Henkel and CALB to develop battery-related materials and application solutions. Its initial focus is adhesive technologies for new energy vehicle batteries, supported by laboratory and application engineering capabilities. The teams will develop and characterize advanced polymer-based materials, evaluate product performance, optimize dispensing and assembly processes, and use digital modeling and simulation. The cooperation framework runs for three years and is planned to involve more than 30 specialists.