Research and Development

Our objective is to repeatedly offer the customer solutions which are innovative and adapted to satisfy their needs, producing a plus in terms of comfort. To this end, 3,500 researchers and engineers in 12 large research facilities in Europe, the USA and China and more than 100 development departments worldwide concern themselves with the optimization of our products, the opening up of new fields of application and the development of future technical materials. We create innovative solutions for the challenges represented by growth, energy savings and environmental protection. One out of five Saint-Gobain products which are sold today, have been developed within the last five years. More than 400 new patents were registered in 2012.

About 300 researchers, engineers and other qualified employees work in the region of the General Delegation. In cooperation within the worldwide research network of Saint-Gobain, in the Herzogenrath Research & Development Center (HRDC), for example, the electrochrome glazing was further developed which, at the touch of a button, switches from non-transparent to transparent. This technology is used both in the motor industry for sun-roofs and in the construction industry. In the area of glass wool insulation materials, the improvement in fire protection qualities with lower weight plays an outstanding role which led to the development of the new Isover Ultimate insulating material. This product was developed in the second large research centre, The Ladenburg Development Center (LDC).

In the area of packaging, among other things, work has progressed on the development of clear glass packaging which protects the contents from harmful UV radiation. In the area of the high-performance materials, the particle filter technology is one of the core areas of development work, which makes the construction of new production lines possible at the Rödental location. In addition, the improvement in grinding technologies, the development of new heat insulating compound systems for façades and the development of new composite materials are among the research and development activities in the General Delegation’s region.