Amcor expands innovation center network with new facilities in Asia and Europe

16 Aug 2021 --- Amcor is expanding its global network of innovation centers, building two new sites in Asia and Europe to complement existing innovation centers in North America.

The new facilities in Jiangyin, China, and Ghent, Belgium, will feature immersive customer and consumer engagement, advanced analytical and material science labs, pilot lines for product development, and replicate customer operations for onsite packaging trials.

The centers will welcome customers from mid-2022, with the construction of later phases taking place in 2023. The total investment is US$35 million.

Global innovation expansion
The new centers expand the consumer packaging giant’s global innovation network, which currently includes flagship sites such as Neenah, Wisconsin, and Manchester, Michigan, in the US, and smaller sites worldwide.

Amcor indicates the broader network will allow customers globally to tap into its deep material science expertise and packaging development capabilities.

“Our innovation centers have already become trusted destinations for some of the world’s biggest brands as they work to improve both the sustainability of their products and the overall consumer experience,” notes Peter Konieczny, CCO for Amcor.

“We’re excited to expand our global innovation network and remain the growth partner of choice for customers across the world.”

High demand solutions
The new centers in China and Belgium will include differentiating features high in demand from customers:

• Immersive customer experience facilities to generate consumer insights, run co-creation sessions and conduct rapid prototyping.
• Advanced analytical and material science labs.
• Dedicated pilot manufacturing equipment.
• Packaging machinery replicating customer operations to run trials without disruption to customer production.
• The latest packaging recycling and composting know-how across multiple materials.

“Our innovation and design centers offer customers a unique space to test new ideas and technologies across a variety of materials and formats without disrupting commercial operations,” comments William Jackson, CTO for Amcor’s Flexibles business.Amcor is expanding its network of innovation centers with new sites in China and Belgium.

“Our customers will be able to access our innovation capabilities wherever they are in the world and benefit from a seamless transfer of expertise and knowledge across the network.”

Innovation budget
Amcor dedicates more than US$100 million annually to its industry-leading research and development activities.

The company claims to be the first packaging solutions provider pledging to develop all its products to be recyclable or reusable by 2025 and is reportedly on track to meet that commitment.

In related news, Amcor recently invested US$10 million in Michigan State University’s School of Packaging – the largest investment in the history of the university’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, under which the School of Packaging sits.

Edited by Joshua Poole

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