From the Detroit Free Press
MADISON HEIGHTS, MI -- In a windowless lab in a converted warehouse, two chemists test the strength of an adhesive holding two pieces of metal together.
In another room, a chemist tests the fatigue point of a sealant in a machine that pulls and releases the metal 50 times a second more than 1 million times.
Knowing the breaking point of these products is important because they might be holding together the frame of a vehicle, brake assembly or some other critical parts.
This type of testing goes on around the clock at the North American labs of Henkel Technologies.
The Madison Heights, MI, facility just opened an $8 million, 65,000-square-foot tech center where products are invented, developed and tested.
What started as a small company that made surface treatments for metal has evolved into a $1-billion operation that makes more than 3,000 chemical products, primarily for the auto industry.
Its sealants keep contaminants out of oil pans, electrical systems and engine blocks. Its lubricants keep engines running and its adhesives hold door frames and trunk lids together in place of traditional welds.
Henkel products are used to produce virtually every automobile in the world.
Yet, despite the pervasiveness of Henkel technology, its products are usually invisible to consumers.
"You usually don't see the product," said Gerry Kohlsmith, president of Henkel Technologies' North American operations, based in Madison Heights, MI. "They are inside the vehicle structure, in the pillars or undercarriage. They make your vehicle quieter, safer and smoother."
Henkel trains suppliers how to use its products and provides follow-up testing and quality assurance.
In one room, filled with metal chambers and redolent of burning oil, engine sealant was being tested. Engines were placed in chambers set at varying extreme temperatures to see how the Henkel lubricants and sealants held up in typical vehicle conditions over time. The engines might be kept running in the chambers for as long as six months.
Henkel's product offerings have evolved over the years. Where it once provided chemicals to suppliers to incorporate into parts, it is now producing parts made from its chemicals.
Among the more recent products Henkel has developed are sound and shock-absorbing material made from polymers that add strength to the vehicle without adding weight.
For example, the company has a structure foam that hardens into something rivaling steel, only much lighter, that is used to reinforce B pillars, rocker panels and roof rails to strengthen vehicle integrity and crash-worthiness.
"Ten years ago, we didn't have one designer. Now we actually design parts for customers using our chemistry," said Chris Liddiard, director of marketing and technology.
Earlier this year, Henkel teamed with Freightliner's Thomas Built Buses to manufacture the first school bus held together with adhesives instead of traditional welds.
It is conceivable to have a vehicle that is literally glued together," Liddiard said.
The Madison Heights, MI, operation, which employs around 350 people, is the North American headquarters of the global automotive group, which generated more than $1 billion in sales in 2004. Kohlsmith said his goal is to double revenue over the next five to 10 years.
2005 The Detroit Free Press. All Rights Reserved.
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