This partnership approach exemplifies the company’s commitment to delivering greater chemistry between people and the planet, providing solutions that benefit customers, end-users, and the environment.
In the fast-evolving coatings and adhesives sectors, formulators are facing increasingly complex challenges. From meeting stringent regulatory standards to enhancing product performance while reducing environmental impact, the pressure to innovate has never been greater. At Clariant's Industrial Applications Innovation Centre in Mount Holly (North Carolina, USA), the company has created a collaborative environment where expertise, advanced technology, and customer-focused solutions converge to address these challenges head-on.
What sets Clariant apart is not just its extensive portfolio of speciality chemicals, but its approach to customer relationships. The Industrial Applications Innovation Centre embodies Clariant’s commitment to being more than a supplier, it is a dedicated innovation partner throughout the entire value chain.
“Our centre was designed with one primary goal: to create a space where our technical expertise meets our customers' practical challenges. We don't just provide ingredients; we provide solutions developed through genuine collaboration with formulators who understand their market needs better than anyone,” has explained Pietrina Peshel, Head of Regional Application Centre for BU Additives.
The Innovation Centre houses cutting-edge equipment and technologies specifically tailored to each target industry. The comprehensive facility enables the formulation and testing of powder coatings, hot melt adhesives, and other applications with precision and efficiency.
Laboratories are equipped with specialised tools, including gravure proofers, powder coating spray booths, hot melt coater laminators, and accelerated weathering equipment. This technological foundation allows the team to simulate real-world conditions that formulators face daily, bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and practical application.
Recognising that rigorous testing is critical to successful formulation, the centre offers extensive capabilities to evaluate product performance across multiple parameters. Testing protocols cover essential properties including:
- Ultra-violet protection efficiency and gloss retention
- Scratch and mar resistance
- Adhesion performance
- Weather resistance and colour stability
- Rheological properties
- Mechanical strength and durability
Clariant’s approach is distinguished by its collaborative development strategy. Rather than working in isolation, customers are invited into the innovation process from the outset. The partnership model follows a structured but flexible pathway:
- Challenge identification: Understanding the specific challenges and unmet needs formulators face.
- Solution design: Technical experts collaborate with customer teams to design potential solutions using Clariant’s speciality ingredients and additives, also partnering with other companies to explore synergistic effects.
- Iterative testing: Formulations undergo rigorous testing and refinement in laboratories, with continuous feedback from customer partners.
- Performance validation: Final formulations are validated against industry standards and customer-specific requirements.
For powder coating formulators, Clariant’s PFAS-free solutions improve flow, surface properties, and durability. PTFE-free texturing agents deliver superior performance and help customers realise significant cost savings.
In adhesives, innovations focus on improving recyclability, bond strength, thermal stability, and application efficiency. The certified biomass-balanced Licocene™ Terra range includes renewable feedstock-based waxes and performance polymers that enable bonding and debonding, enhancing the recyclability of post-industrial and post-consumer waste.
Clariant’s toolbox of m-PO speciality polymers, light and heat stabilisers, and non-halogen flame retardants for adhesives and sealants addresses the need for sustainable solutions while maintaining excellent performance.
For liquid coatings, the company develops label-free additives that enhance durability, weatherability, and overall performance. Water-based coating solutions feature ultra-violet stabiliser dispersions and renewable-based wax additives, such as rice bran waxes, providing industry-leading weathering protection and scratch resistance. The VITA portfolio offers 100% bio-based products, demonstrating Clariant’s commitment to helping industries transition from fossil carbon materials to renewable alternatives.
Formulators benefit from the Innovation Centre through:
- Access to specialised equipment and testing capabilities without major capital investment
- Technical expertise across multiple chemistry platforms
- Accelerated development timelines through collaborative problem-solving
- Insights into emerging industry trends and regulatory requirements
- Support throughout the product lifecycle, from concept to commercialisation