“Our most important research project: the future.”
The Brückner Group’s innovation centers: Where creative visions are turned into the technologies of tomorrow.
Commitment meets expertise. Groundbreaking technological developments are worked on every day in the Brückner Group’s innovation centers – with comprehensive expertise and a strong pioneering spirit. At the same time, these institutions embrace a modern culture of knowledge. After all, teamwork is essential to every successful new development. Polymer specialists, students, partner companies, and customers work hard together, cross-fertilizing different ideas and approaches and coming up with completely new solutions. The highest benchmark? Sustainability. That’s because it not only increases the efficiency of the machines and systems, but also improves their environmental compatibility.
The Brückner Group USA’s Customer Innovation Center in Dover, New Hampshire. Here, visitors are given access to the material analysis laboratory to test machine components, for example. There are also demonstrations of original systems produced by Brückner Group companies. On request, visitors can attend special courses on thermoforming processes for packaging production of polymers.
“Our most important research project is the future,” says Dr. Stefan Seibel, Head of R&D at Brückner Maschinenbau. “The Brückner Group bases its technological leadership on continuous development in specialized research centers that develop and test innovative methods in the fields of plastics, natural fibers, recycled and bio-based polymers, and environmentally friendly technologies for various industries.”
Quite simply THE technology center in our industry.
With a certain amount of pride, Seibel explains: “The Brückner Maschinenbau Technology Center for Film Development in Siegsdorf brings together all the notable partners in our value chain. From the raw material production process to the application, everyone tests their innovations here to find out what works and what doesn’t. We also work on joint projects with research institutes such as the Fraunhofer Institute and with the universities in Rosenheim, Munich, Paderborn, and Aachen, which all conduct state-of-the-art polymer research.”
A unique pilot plant: This can be used to produce numerous types of film consisting of up to seven layers. Ultra-high-barrier films and battery films for the growing e-mobility market have been developed here, for example.
The KARO® 5.0 laboratory stretching machine, where films can be tested under extreme loads. This technology helps to carry out detailed research into the properties of new film formulations and materials – the first step on the way to producing new plant technology.
This laboratory extrusion line (LBE) produces and tests so-called high-temperature films, which are used for state-of-the-art technologies in cell phones, for instance, or for automotive applications.
All films from the pilot plant, the KARO 5.0 stretching machine, or the laboratory extrusion line can be instantly examined by the experts in Brückner Maschinenbau’s chemical and film laboratory. These test results are then made available to customers.
High-speed transport system test benches, furnace test areas, and roller test benches are important aspects of the professional research and development process at Brückner Maschinenbau in order to be able to offer customers absolutely reliable, proven film stretching systems. The same goes for completely new components that are set to be used for the first time in film production.
“Grüezi” future!
The KREA Lab Center in Switzerland
PackSys Global, a Brückner Group company, opened the KREA Lab in Rüti, which is in the canton of Zurich, in 2021. Here, customers, partners, universities, and students are given the opportunity to conduct tests on machines – or simply see the systems in action and admire them. The KREA Lab also has an independent chemical testing laboratory.
In addition to mechanical engineering, we have also been heavily involved in the process engineering side of things in recent years. Continuing to develop such processes brings a number of advantages, such as higher speed, better product quality, and improved recyclability.
These innovative “babies” originate from the KREA Lab Center
The shimmering innovation. The pearl tube not only boasts an impressively elegant sheen. Thanks to the extra thin barrier layer, an incredibly high mono-material content can be achieved, which ensures better quality recycling.
“No shoulder” is the concept behind the shoulderless “noSho Tube” from PackSys Global. In an industry first, noSho integrates design elements for caps directly into the tube head, which in turn means less plastic and more efficiency in the manufacturing process.
The detachable tube consists of an outer paper and an inner polymer layer. The advantage of this is that the paper and polymer layers can be easily detached from one another and recycled separately.
The Fuji concept uses a very lightweight PE beverage cap, which can be used for all common cosmetic tube diameters (35, 40, and 50 mm).
This makes it quick and easy to switch from one tube opening diameter to the other during production. What’s more, the tamper-evident closure is already integrated in the beverage cap.
Success for PackSys Global
At the 2025 award ceremony held by the Tube Council of North America, the Swiss team won the Gold Award for the noSho tube and the Bronze Award for the detachable tube.
Space to try out new things
The Kiefel Customer Innovation Centers (CICs)
Our CICs give us the freedom to be creative and try new things – even if not every attempt is successful right away,” says Sven Engelmann, Vice President of Technology at Kiefel, another Brückner Group company.
"We simply need the opportunity to perform extensive tests on different versions of technologies and materials so that we can achieve the optimal result for our customers. Ultimately, testing is the only way for us to be able to verify previous considerations. Interdisciplinary teams work together here, each learning from the other colleagues. They also learn to understand the working methods and thought processes of other disciplines and can thus be more responsive to their subject matter, so there is a very dynamic form of knowledge transfer."
– Sven Engelmann, Vice President Technology bei Kiefel
“It was quite simply a quantum leap for our research – and for our customers.”
Rupert Gschwendtner, Head of R&D Medical at Kiefel, on the advantages of this on-site facility. “Particularly in the field medical technology, machines are designed with precision to meet the wishes of customers. The Kiefel team then has to break down the production process into individual steps and see how this product can be manufactured to meet the specified quality demands. It is not unlike detective work. How should the welding process be set up for medical films? How will the printing work? What materials should be used? We can find answers to all these questions by performing extensive tests, thereby taking the quality of the solutions to a whole new level.”
“Sometimes the best approach is simply to hunker down and experiment.”
Richard Hagenauer, Head of Technology for Fiber Packaging, Kiefel: “We have been working on manufacturing products from natural fiber materials for a long time. In 2019, one of our expert teams virtually commandeered the research center for several weeks and conducted intensive research on the pulp.” Fiber thermoforming has become a globally in-demand process used to produce high-quality and sustainable packaging from natural fibers. Research is now being carried out at Kiefel in Freilassing on all types of thermoforming – from the processing of polymers to alternative materials.
In our Polymer Customer Innovation Center in Freilassing, we make various kinds of machines available for processing polymers. Customers can use our thermoforming machines to produce prototypes and samples. This is how we are expanding the possibilities of what thermoforming can do every day.
Kiefel specialists are also working all out on pioneering technologies, processes, and materials at the Material R&D Center in Sprang-Capelle in the Netherlands, continuously making real progress in the field of polymers and bio-based plastics. “When you develop innovations, you always have to factor in the risk that new approaches may not work,” says Engelmann.
But the proficient work carried out in the CICs can significantly mitigate this risk. However, the biggest risk for a technology leader like the Brückner Group would be not to use its innovative excellence and to stop thinking one step ahead of the rest. But that won’t happen here because our pioneering spirit and a desire to achieve the maximum benefit for the customer are firmly embedded in our DNA.