The global headquarters of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is now in its newly built home at the Innovation Centre in Stuttgart, Germany, which was officially opened on 10 September, 2018.

The 14,000m² centre has allowed the expansion of research and development capabilities by 50%, to around 3,000m², including a 300m² showroom area dedicated to the department.

Trelleborg new research centre

The inauguration was attended by guests from all over the world, including representatives from customers, suppliers, key members of the local authorities, and management and personnel from Trelleborg.

“Innovation is key at Trelleborg. The innovation center in Stuttgart has been created to raise the bar in terms of sealing material and product development and will provide the ideal environment for future joint development projects with our customers,” said Peter Hahn, Trelleborg Business Area President

“Our enhanced R&D capabilities in Stuttgart will allow us to interact in a unique way with our customers that will accelerate innovation, shorten development cycles, reducing the number of designs and prototypes required to come to an effective final specification,” said Prof Dr Konrad Saur, Director Global R&D at Trelleborg.

“The new building incorporates a work and live space concept, offering a perfect environment for our processes and project work. This, as well as improved transparency, will speed up and facilitate easy internal and external communications, allowing us to spend more time on partnerships with customers and suppliers. In addition, according to our corporate social responsibility guidelines, the building exceeds the latest environmental standards,” said Carsten Stehle, General Manager of Trelleborg.

Trelleborg has more than 25 production facilities and more than 50 marketing companies globally.

Producer of sealants and gaskets for underground construction, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, has expanded research and development capabilities by 50% to 3,000m² at its Innovation Centre based at its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

The new space includes a 300m² showroom area demonstrating research and development and opportunities for product innovation.

Trelleborg new research centre

“Innovation is not only about new products and materials, but also advancements in analytical and technical capabilities to resolve problems and accelerate technological breakthroughs,” said Prof Dr Konrad Saur, Director of Global R&D at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions.

The new Innovation Centre will host laboratories with the latest analytical equipment and measurement centres, innovation and prototype facilities, and a major test area with a fully equipped tool room and materials laboratory. Capabilities will range from standard mechanical testing to analysis of materials, including Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Digital Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, to a highly advanced high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with an Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX).

“With such capabilities working in combination, complex problems can be assessed and resolved rapidly. No time is lost shipping samples from lab to lab, so turnaround times and iterative assessment are faster as cross-functional competencies work directly together. These capabilities support material and product development, fundamental research of sealing designs and interactions in sealing systems, as well as root cause and failure analysis in production and from the field,” said Saur.

The new Innovation Centre is also home to the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions global headquarters and various global support departments. Personnel have begun moving into the centre and its official opening is planned for September 2018.