H B Fuller Opens New Automotive Competence Centre in Germany

H B Fuller (FUL) has opened its new “automotive competency centre” in Mannheim, Germany. This facility includes an applications laboratory, expanded sales, customer and technical service office space, representing the company’s commitment to invest in its capabilities in the automotive industry.

The automotive competency centre expands H B Fuller’s capability to develop and manufacture hot melt, water based, solvent based, reactive and film adhesive technologies for various automotive trim, structural, lighting, electronics, and electric vehicle and battery applications. New application machinery, testing equipment, laboratory capabilities and space facilitate expanded customer engagement in innovation from concept to prototyping to final design.

From this facility, adhesive experts with decades of experience and deep, diverse knowledge of the automotive industry will work closely with OEM and tier 1 customers to meet their design and production challenges.

“This outstanding facility exemplifies our strong commitment to customers in the automotive and automotive electronics industries. The automotive competency centre will provide enhanced collaboration capabilities due, in part, to its close proximity to European automotive customers. It also expands our engineering adhesives R&D and technical capabilities, and it strengthens our ability to develop new adhesive technologies and applications to support innovation in the broader transportation sector,” said Matt McGreevy, business director, H B Fuller global automotive.

“The new facility dramatically enhances our ability – not only regionally, but globally – to support diverse customer applications and to find the optimal materials and methods to meet performance and production requirements. Driven by trends, such as lightweight, performance and cost, manufacturers in this fast-changing market need their suppliers to provide rapid innovation and complete, sustainable assembly solutions. The Center enables us to be an even stronger partner,” added Howard Biery, business manager, H B Fuller automotive, EIMEA.