TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Coatings
Beckers build a new sustainable innovation center in the UK to unlock the potential of more sustainable coil coating technologies such as ultraviolet/electron beam (UV/EB) curing.
The innovation center will double the capacity of Long-term Development (LTD) R&D team that is working to develop the future coil coating capabilities. The groundbreaking of the new SEK 20.5 million building in Liverpool took place in March 2023 and should get completed by the end of the year.
Enhancing Global R&D Capabilities
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As we don’t currently have space to accommodate all the equipment we need when developing some of the new coating technologies, the new innovation center will be essential in enhancing our global R&D capabilities,” said Gavin Bown, CTO.
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The innovation center will enable us to develop new disruptive technologies that are both more sustainable and also have the potential to reduce costs for our customers,” continued Bown. The building will be purpose built and is designed for future expansion if necessary.
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The innovation center will give us the bandwidth to move into future technologies,” explained James Smith, Global R&D director, LTD. “
It is designed with one eye firmly on the next generation of more sustainable coatings that are renewable and based on the concept of circularity.”
The aim is for the center to become a flagship for sustainable innovation to drive the sustainable coil coating R&D. The innovation center is designed to develop both application technologies and coating formulations that are more sustainable.
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All of our new product development at Beckers must be net-sustainable, which means that all our R&D and innovation activity has a focus on sustainability,” stated Bown.
Unlocking Next Generation Product Technologies
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Our new sustainable innovation center will give us unique opportunities to investigate the intersections of different sustainable platforms to potentially combine them with a view to unlock the next generation of product technologies and coil coatings,” added Bown.
The innovation center will also be a living showcase for the latest in more sustainable coating solutions. The walls and roof of the building will use a cladding system that utilizes a partially bio-resin coating developed by Beckers for improved material sustainability.
The coating applied to the roof will also use Beckry®Therm technology to improve thermal control in the building to reduce the energy required for air conditioning and increase the service life of the cladding system. The coatings used for the building will also be sourced and manufactured as sustainably as possible.
Source: Beckers