Hexis accelerates with advanced R&D lab

French vinyl manufacturer Hexis has committed 2.5 percent of its expected €100 million+ global turnover this year to its groundbreaking R&D laboratory. The Hexis lab, led by director Christophe Baudrion, who manages a team of 24 chemists and specialist technical staff, has delivered a range of innovations in recent years including multi-layered cast film, patented anti-microbial film and a series of specialist adhesive variants to suit a range of application conditions and substrates, including flat, structured, tinted and reinforced adhesives.

The year 2019 will be the company’s 30th year in business, churning out 25 million sq m of film with an expected turnover well in excess of €100 million and a workforce of more than 400 people worldwide. Hexis has expanded considerably over the years beyond its core business of vinyl film for signage applications. The company has recently developed several PVC free products that use a water based emulsion, thus reducing the amount of solvents used in production by 85 percent, whilst simultaneously achieving better durability than their PVC equivalent. They are targeting substantial growth in market segments such as interior design, retail fittings and furnishings and decoration. Other promising areas include protective laminates, textile marking and industrial applications such as paint replacements, anti-graffiti and anti-microbial surface protection on unusual substrates, for example, on solar panels and touch screens.