Covestro invests €100m to enhance R&D in ‘core’ industries

Leverkusen, Germany – Covestro AG has announced an investment of €100 million in its global R&D infrastructure and assets over the three years to the end of 2024.

The investment is focused on future technologies, including new digital capabilities to enhance innovation in recycling research, the German materials supplier said on 8 Oct.

As part of this, Covestro said its main innovation centres were upgraded with ‘modernised equipment for customer service and automated systems’, while laboratories and technical centres were fitted with new digital capabilities.

A key example, the company said, is the investment in expertise for in-mould coating or direct coating, which enables ‘high-quality surfaces’ for the modern automotive industry.

Covestro’s R&D facilities in Leverkusen; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Shanghai, China, have been upgraded to support such process technology.

Additionally, “end-to-end digitalisation” at these sites will help record all process-relevant data.

Another important milestone is the deployment of high-performance computers (HPCII) at the Leverkusen headquarters to advance the circular economy.

By simulating chemical processes, the computers will enable faster and more sustainable research.

One example is the use of these computers in foam processing simulations for refrigerators to improve energy efficiency and cool chains in end products.

“Simulations of chemical processes are a key element in the development of recycling technologies and research on new molecule classifications,” said Torsten Heinemann, head of group innovation & sustainability at Covestro.

Moreover, Covestro expects laboratory digitalisation to enable test data to be recorded in higher quality and to a greater extent than is typical in analogue ways.

“Both help us to find more possible and sustainable solutions for our customers more quickly,” Heinemann said.