Serving all the Group's core markets—including foundry, iron and steel, aluminum, and cement— it will play a crucial role in helping customers navigate their green energy transition challenges.
Construction is expected to be complete by late 2025.
Strategic location
Neuwied is the Group's European largest production site and has been a recognized center for innovation since 1955, leveraging Germany's reputation in metallurgy and refractory industries. Locating the Innovation Center close to the Neuwied facility provides easy access to industrial and scale-up trials, ensuring greater collaboration and support between the Innovation & Technology, Quality Control, and Production teams. It will also benefit from its proximity to other Calderys sites and their distinct processes for producing monolithics, steel casting fluxes and molding solutions. A multicultural team of experts dedicated to advancing research and development has been reinforced over the past month, with potential additional recruitments in the future.
The Neuwied location also offers access to the expertise of local talent pool, partnerships, and collaboration with prestigious academic institutions such as RWTH Aachen, the University of Koblenz, and the University of Liege in Belgium, along with industry resources, such as the European Centre for Refractories (ECREF) and the FGF (Research Association for Refractories).
Advanced equipment
The facility will include modular rooms to accommodate a range of R&D activities, fully connected infrastructure with air, water, dedusting, IT, and ventilation facilities, and a showroom to highlight innovation work and results.
State-of-the-art equipment will include advanced machinery for determining high-temperature properties, mineralogical and chemical composition and imaging for in-house advanced materials characterization. These investments will further elevate quality control, research capabilities, and efficiency, ensuring that customers continue to receive products of the highest quality and performance.
Calderys' third Innovation Center
The new EMEA Innovation Center joins Calderys' global network of R&D facilities, including its centers in the USA for the Americas, and in India for the APAC region. The Group is also developing its innovation capabilities in India with more than 2,000 square meters of new lab space in the state of Odisha, where Calderys currently builds a major single-site greenfield plant dedicated to refractories and steel casting fluxes. These investments underscore Calderys' unwavering commitment to advancing technological innovation and maintaining a competitive edge in the refractory industry.
Michel Cornelissen, President and CEO of Calderys, says: "We are thrilled to expand our R&D capabilities in the region. The establishment of our Innovation Center is a clear demonstration of Calderys' dedication to innovation and excellence in the refractory industry. We are supporting the growth of our EMEA operations, in particular in Germany where we have 5 production sites, and we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering tailored, cutting-edge solutions to our customers, with a special focus on innovation that supports their green energy transition needs".
Bruno Touzo, SVP Innovation & Technology, emphasizes: "Our investment in the new Neuwied R&D site marks a significant milestone for Calderys and our future. As the green energy transition accelerates across EMEA, our customers are adapting their processes to meet evolving environmental and regulatory standards. This new European Innovation Center will allow us to collaborate closely with them, driving forward pioneer solutions to meet these challenges We are excited to leverage local talent and resources to create a positive impact –for our company, our customers and the community."
About Calderys
Calderys is a leading global provider for industries operating in high-temperature conditions. The Group specializes in thermal protection for industrial equipment with a wide range of refractory products and advanced solutions to enhance steel casting, metallurgical fluxes, and molding processes. With a presence in more than 30 countries and a strong footprint in the Americas through the brand HWI (HarbisonWalker International), Calderys' international network of experts ensures an end-to-end offer with tailored services. Drawing on over 150 years of experience, Calderys supports its customers in their energy transition needs. Headquartered in Paris, France, the Group counts 5,800 employees and contractors, and 50 plants on five continents.
For more information, visit www.calderys.com
Media contact:
Aurélie de Chassey-Hayot
Global Vice President,
Communications & Sustainability
Calderys Group
M: aurelie.dechassey-hayot@calderys.com
Sophie de Védrines
External communication manager
Calderys Group
M: sophie.devedrines@calderys.com
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