Innovation
Soudal is continuously investing in the future. A large part of the investment budget is spent on numerous forms of innovation, such as the development of new products and markets, the application of new technology and defining new processes.
"For Soudal innovation means being 'avant-la-lettre', doing things differently to others."
Vic Swerts, Chairman
Research & development
Research & Development is deeply rooted in the business culture of Soudal. Better still: it is one of the absolute pillars of the impressive growth realised by the company in the last few decades. Extensive investments to strengthen the R&D expertise and adopt new technology with, for instance, creative analysts and engineers, resulted in the build of the Soudal Research & Development Centre. The R&D Centre at the Everdongenlaan in Turnhout is more than just a state-of-the-art building based on numerous Soudal high-tech developments, it reflects a deeper culture and a drive for continuous innovation with an open view of the future.
R&D at Soudal in numbers
Products meet all international standards
R&D is key for our core business
Product innovation
The speed of product innovation is high: each annual report contains an overview of new products. When developing these products, Soudal is not restrained by limitations on raw materials or technology. There is a solution to every problem! Product innovation is specifically driven by:
- Solutions required by the end user. By recognising their needs at an early stage, the correct tailor-made solutions can be developed
- Raw material availability and prices
- Statutory (European) standards for product safety, building directives and certification. It is obvious that developments in the field of energy performance also play an important role.
Innovative building methods & ease of use
Variable raw materials
More stringent legislation & product standards
Process innovation
Alongside the continuous development of new and environment-friendly products, new and environment-friendly production processes are also receiving attention. Soudal wants to be a trendsetter in progressive fields such as energy-efficiency and cost optimisation in production, the continuous training of users in a rapidly evolving market or the internal rollout of SAP. The engineering department is the driving force for the continuous reinvention of production processes, which are smarter, faster, more energy-efficient and produce less waste.
