Cross-pollinating innovation: Bekaert's TechCampus powers global R&D partnerships

Inge Schildermans: The TechCampus is pivotal to the work at Bekaert and how we approach sustainable growth. It’s the place that we turn to when we want to further accelerate innovation in a certain area or close technology gaps. And it plays a crucial part in support of our Business Units (BU’s) in achieving their goals. The TechCampus’s portfolio spans a variety of capabilities, labs and pilot lines, which help us better meet customer demands as well as our greater sustainability goals.

Interestingly enough, the TechCampus has been around for a while. It was founded in the 1960s, and underwent a significant transformation throughout the decades. We view it as the central hub for all of Bekaert’s global R&D efforts. There, we handle everything from fundamental research to product development and pilot use cases. Together with our R&D centers in Doncaster, which focuses on quality control for steel ropes, and in China, which allows us to perform high-volume testing for tire reinforcement, we are able to control the innovation process from A to Z in-house for a wide range of products and applications.

The reason that the TechCampus sets Bekaert apart and creates value for its customers is because of what this model allows us to accomplish. Thanks to the 500 R&D professionals in the BU’s and on our 3 sites, our engineering teams are able to develop more solutions in a very agile way and scale fast. This ultimately creates solutions leveraging 21st century technologies that are applicable on a global scale. 
 
Put simply: we wouldn’t be able to do what we do at the scale we do it were it not for our TechCampus.

IS: We’re actually an example for a lot of the wider research community, something that a lot of different institutions are attracted to. Thanks to the many dedicated R&D activities on site (research labs but also pilot lines, competence centers or prototype workshops), which cover everything from electrochemistry and mechanical testing to material science and engineering, there are dozens of partnerships we’ve established with leading universities, research institutions, and even customers with their own innovation projects.

What’s equally important is how the TechCampus empowers our BU’s to build stronger, more strategic relationships with their customers. By helping BUs tackle their customers’ toughest challenges—through our deep technical expertise and advanced capabilities—we enable them to bring real, value-added solutions to the table. This not only enhances trust and credibility but also ensures that our teams are invited into key conversations early on, where they can truly influence outcomes and co-create innovation.

At its heart, what makes the TechCampus so unique is that it’s an ecosystem of deep expertise and powerful equipment. For example, our materials characterization team was able to identify an iron contaminant in titanium, which allowed both our technical and sales teams to better inform our customers on the root cause and how to avoid it moving forward. That we leverage that in all of our BU’s just makes the whole endeavor even more special, and is how we stay focused on our commitment to take Bekaert “Beyond Steel.”

IS: These days, sustainability is central to virtually everything we do. Our customers demand more sustainable solutions, whether that’s through their material choices or through the way they approach different processes or product design.

For example, some of the research our TechCampus has been focused on includes green steel, as well as energy-efficient processing and investigating new, sustainable coatings. These breakthroughs have ultimately led to reducing GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions and have driven industry benchmarks around recycled steel.

Sustainability drives every research initiative at Bekaert. From the outset, our teams integrate environmental considerations into the DNA of our technologies—ensuring that sustainability is not an afterthought, but a foundational element. This approach enables us to design for circularity, reduce environmental impact, and anticipate the needs of a greener future.

Recently, we have opened a new Innovation Hub for hydrogen and filtration testing in our R&D center in Deerlijk. This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a hub for innovative research, development, and testing in clean energy technologies and solutions. Together with our customers we will be able to co-create new innovative solutions, set new benchmarks in the industry, driving growth and excellence. This really positions us at the forefront of both hydrogen technology and other innovative solutions in filtration media. We really look forward to leveraging our expertise to deliver high-performance solutions and to accelerating innovation of these technologies for a sustainable future.

IS: As I mentioned earlier, a big concept driving our innovation is the idea of “Creativity Beyond Steel.” We leverage on our extensive knowledge in wire drawing and coating to take innovation one step further and are also looking at polymeric and non-ferrous materials. Between initiatives around circular material use, energy/waste efficiency, and recycled materials, focusing on sustainability also winds up driving innovations in other areas.

Take, for example, off-shore wind farms. Thanks to the acquisitions of Bridon in 2018 and, more recently, the synthetic ropes specialist Bexco, our work exploring durable alternatives to steel wire has led to some major breakthroughs when it comes to improving performance and sustainability for businesses that require materials that can withstand harsher conditions.

Another example is with our Advanced Cords business. This subdivision makes steel tapes that are used in pipes in the oil and gas industry. But these tapes are also going to be used in pipes for the transportation of hydrogen. By breaking down traditional silos, metallurgists can work hand-in-hand with engineers and polymer specialists when the need arises. This means that our hydrogen team can draw on insights from EV innovation and offshore cable projects when it comes to how they tackle hydrogen embrittlement.

What they came up with is a polymer coating that is basically able to eat the hydrogen before it comes into contact with the steel. This prevents the risk of early failure, and allows it to be utilized in new markets and new applications. Our campus isn’t just about cross-collaboration. It’s also about building upon our collective work to achieve new efficiencies and innovations.

IS: As mentioned earlier when  I talked about the research institutions and universities we partner with, collaboration with external partners is another core component of our work on the TechCampus. Partnering with other suppliers, customers, and researchers lets us co-develop solutions and also fill holes in our own gaps of expertise.

One way we do this is through partnerships with some of the top universities in the region. Our work with places like the Universities of Ghent (Belgium), Lille (France), and Imperial College London creates a win-win exchange of information, analysis, and results. The PhD students who spend some of their time with Bekaert oscillate between the university and our TechCampus where we have specialized equipment they wouldn’t be able to access at school.

For example, our materials characterization team allows researchers to microsection steel and prepare a sample to be looked at with a scanning electron microscope. Then, using AI to process that information, the PhD students input that data into a mathematical model they’re collaborating with us on which predicts how different heat treatments will affect those steels.

IS: They should expect a partnership rooted in co-creation. One that’s built on technical excellence, cutting-edge expertise, and aimed at real-world impact. From complex engineering challenges to reducing your environmental impact or exploring new materials, we’re ready to collaborate with you across disciplines and industries.

What’s more, we’ve got a strong track record beyond our deep R&D capabilities. If you come to us, you’re getting more than technology, you’re getting an innovation mindset. You’re getting tailored solutions and you’re getting a commitment to finding success for your project. From faster EV charging to stronger synthetic ropes for offshore wind farms, these innovations have practical applications in the real world.

Whether you’re a researcher looking for collaboration or a customer who wants an innovative partner, we invite you to see what we’re all about. If you’re passionate about playing a serious role in the future of sustainable product development and manufacturing, then we want to connect. We want to collaborate.