Automotive bonding material and adhesives supplier Henkel is aligning itself with the industry’s transition towards electrification by being ready to offer solutions for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing for OEMs around the world. The company says it is rising to this task by focusing on three main areas.

The first, it says, is identifying and anticipating structural and acoustic challenges in EVs to make them safe and silent. Henkel says it is ensuring that its offerings are properly validated to reduce the development cycle at the OEMs by exploring how best to combine advanced material designs. The Tier 1 major also says that it places a substantial emphasis on delivering scalable solutions to the industry.

With sustainability being a pressing issue, the company is also adopting its sustainability vision into the entire product development cycle. “Our goal for Henkel's products is to support OEMs in reducing their CO2 footprint and in meeting overall targets. Sustainability is a key focus in driving innovation through the selection of raw materials, processes, and packaging, which can all help reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and support recycling goals,” said a Henkel spokesperson.

With an R&D centre - Henkel India Innovation Center – in Pune, Maharashtra, the research towards sustainability involves selecting the right materials and creating advanced designs, “not just to solve crash durability or ride and handling problems, but also to help reduce the weight of the vehicle.”

According to the company, lightweight structural solutions help meet and cap high-speed side crash to protect the battery and reinforce the engine cradle, as well as frame against excessive vibrations and NVH issues. The capabilities at this state-of-the-art R&D facility includes an acoustic chamber to identify the root causes of NVH issues, as well as structural and airborne noise, and then design suitable solutions to reduce it by up to ten decibels.

“With rapidly growing public interest in EVs comes heightened importance on lightweighting for both Henkel and our customers. Henkel’s focus on safety and sustainability puts us in the right mindset to bring excellent solutions to our customers and consumers. From a product development standpoint, Henkel is putting a lot of emphasis on developing sustainable products, from conceptualisation to the completed product,” it said.

High degree of localisation, technology
Additionally, Henkel India’s Innovation Center has benefited from significant efforts and funding towards the localisation of production, resulting in up to 97 percent localisation of all products being made in the country. “We now turn towards the next phase of the journey, which would entail sourcing qualified raw materials from local manufacturers, driving success in the Make in India program and increasing sustainability,” the company said.  

Henkel also manages one of the largest adhesive plants located in India, producing a full range of acoustic and structural sealants and coatings for the automotive industry. This plant, located in Pune, is in line with Industry 4.0 through its high level of automation that meets stringent quality standards.

The company claims to offer deep expertise in EV BIW solutions such as structural adhesives, structural inserts, and acoustic solutions that are directed towards enabling OEMs to meet weight targets as well as reduce CO2 emissions without impacting performance.

Watch Henkel’s solutions for EV body shop: