Delivering the latest in advanced technologies and scientific expertise, our R&D facility in Trumbull, CT is a significant driver of knowledge and insights for the Henkel North America Laundry & Home Care business. Learn more in this segment of #AViewFrom: Trumbull, CT
Did you know that Henkel North America employs approximately 9,000 employees in almost 70 sites across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico? Collectively, these sites support three business units: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care.
Our #AViewFrom series features select locations, sharing information and facts about our sites across Henkel North America.
About 30 miles down the road from the Henkel North America Laundry & Home Care Headquarters in Stamford, CT, the Trumbull facility is a state-of-the-art research and development facility, supporting our Laundry & Home Care brands, and employing over 100 scientists and innovative minds.
The Trumbull site is a creator and conduit of innovation flow, supporting Henkel’s sustainability, technology, and product development strategies that drive our North America Laundry & Home Care business. Consumer products developed here include Persil®, all®, and Purex® laundry detergents, Snuggle® fabric conditioners, and Renuzit® air care products.
The 46,000 sq ft technology center first opened in 2009, and was acquired by Henkel in 2016. The space features spacious laboratories, packaging design facilities, laundry and dish care centers.
Old-fashioned methods of washing clothes are displayed at the Trumbull site, as well as an array of current Henkel Laundry & Home Care products
In 2018, Trumbull increased its R&D capabilities through the award-winning renovation of an adjacent building. The expanded facility spans another 27,000 square feet and includes formulation laboratories, a consumer product and fragrance evaluation center, packaging design, and two pilot plants that support production scale up capabilities for Henkel’s Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care businesses.
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Trumbull’s expanded R&D facilities (built in 2018) include state-of-the-art technology, including formulation laboratories and consumer product and fragrance evaluation center
“Here at Trumbull, we are constantly leveraging each other's knowledge and expertise to create the next pipeline of Laundry & Home Care technologies, that enable our brands to launch innovative new products for our consumers,” said Stefan Strathmann, Head of Research & Development, Laundry & Home Care, Henkel North America. “Our incredibly creative and dedicated scientists are constantly evaluating and reinventing new technologies and product forms matching consumer needs and creating differentiating and superior solutions, allowing us to continue growth and success within our business.”
The Trumbull site also includes a consumer research center called Bright Ideas. Bright Ideas helps connect with customers to gain insights and approaches for Henkel products and packages. Bright Ideas performs a variety of studies, including focus groups, one-on-one interviews and online surveys, providing valuable consumer insight that is used to help guide future innovation.
The Trumbull site’s Wash Lab features rows of washing machines, used to evaluate various laundry products for performance and efficacy
IN THE COMMUNITY
Trumbull employees have a strong sense of community and regularly participate in a variety of local service initiatives. The Trumbull site has been a longtime supporter of the Trumbull Nature and Arts Center (TNAC), supporting their environmental education programs so that they can provide science-based field trips and enrichment workshops for children.
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With monetary support from Henkel, TNAC was able to build the Outdoor Nature’s Classroom- a pavilion where children can participate in outdoor environmental education, protected from the sun.
DID YOU KNOW
Employees at the Trumbull facility designed an automated staining system, called the Stain Robot. This one-of-a-kind piece of equipment stains fabric with substances most encountered by North American consumers, including grass, blood, tomato sauce, chocolate ice cream and wine. The Stain Robot helps scientists measure product efficacy as efficiently and accurately as possible, to deliver best results to customers.
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Bruno Piacenza, Executive Vice President Laundry and Home Care at Henkel, and Trumbull employees recently celebrated the opening of Trumbull’s new Dish Lab, designed to meet high performance standards in innovation, cost effectiveness, and speed-to-market for Henkel products within the dish category.
