Innovation Centres

Two Borealis innovation centres and the Innovation Headquarters are the key elements in our delivery of innovative polyolefin solutions. The focus at each innovation centre is different, allowing for concentration of effort both in terms of innovation specialisation and in terms of the technical support provided to our business groups.

Austria

The new  International Innovation Headquarters is in Linz, Austria, close to the Danube, some 180 km  west of  Vienna. It is within easy reach of industrial regions in southern Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and Italy. Historically, industry was centred on mining and steel but now includes petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and other industries.

The first construction stage with the completion of the application hall was finalised in mid 2009. The five-story building accommodates state-of-the-art equipment for processing plastics in applications such as pipe, film and injection moulding, as well as the relevant analysis and laboratory equipment.

A new high-tech polymerisation laboratory has been built adjacent to the application hall. This is being used to produce batch samples of new grades that are specifically tailored to the customer's needs. With this proximity, samples can be tested and analysed in the adjoining labs before being produced on a larger scale in pilot or production plants.

Borealis' mission of Value Creation through Innovation was the key idea during the entire construction process of the Innovation Headquarters. The new office building meets the latest architectural standards: open-space offices and  well appointed communication centres support the exchange amongst employees, as well as with management and customers.

Along with the investment in the new Innovation Headquarters, Borealis together with its shareholder OMV supports the new Plastics Engineering programme at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. The new programme is aimed at meeting the demand of the Upper Austrian plastics industry for young researchers in the years to come.

At the end of 2009, Borealis annouced a further investment of EUR 75 million in a semi-commercial catalyst plant to develop and scale up new catalysts for the production of innovative new polymers.

Finland

At the Porvoo Innovation Centre, the core innovative competencies are Borstar process development and fundamental catalyst development, as well as up-scaling to commercial trials. Our new catalyst platform from emulsion technology was developed to meet the growing requirements of polyolefin products.

Customer technical support is focused on extrusion coating and packaging applications.

Sweden 

The Swedish Innovation Centre is located in Stenungsund, Sweden. This west coast location is close to the hub of the Swedish plastics industry, which hosts  several leading world players in high tech industries. The Stenungsund site has several decades of experience in producing ultra high-purity polymers for high-voltage cable applications. Recently, the construction of a large and completely new wire and cable plant using cross linking polymer technology was completed. Special leading products include Visico, BorPEX and Borcoat.

The core innovative competencies are PE development, particularly for infrastructure applications.