LEIDEN, The Netherlands ─ Oct. 30, 2012 ─ Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY), a global leader in labeling and packaging materials and solutions, today broke ground in the Leiden Bio Science Park in Oegstgeest on a new head office for its European Materials Group. The site is located approximately 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam.
The groundbreaking ceremony was co-hosted by the company’s development partner, OVG Real Estate, and was attended by local and regional dignitaries, including Guido Landheer, director top priority sectors of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, and Els Timmers-van Klink, mayor of Oegstgeest. It marked the start of construction on a state-of-the-art, 12,000-square-meter, sustainably designed facility that will house office space, as well as a customer experience center and a research and development laboratory. The project is scheduled for completion in 2014.
“As a business focused on providing materials that our customers use to make their brands stand out in the marketplace, it’s crucial that we stay in constant touch with their needs,” said Angelo Depietri, vice president and general manager for Avery Dennison Materials Group in Europe. “By placing our R&D, marketing, sales and service teams under one roof, we’ll get closer to customers and improve our ability to provide them with the right solutions at the right time.
Designed by Dutch Architect Paul de Ruiter and positioned in Oegstgeest along the A44 highway, the new European head office will reflect Avery Dennison’s vision and values in a modern, functional space. The five-story building has the capacity to house up to 450 employees and will bring together employees currently working in facilities spread across the region. The building’s key features include:
Customer Experience Center. Avery Dennison will create a highly interactive showcase to demonstrate its products and innovations. Visitors to the Customer Experience Center will be able to see and touch Avery Dennison’s ideas, technology and applications in a creative and dynamic setting.
Research and Development Center. The lab facilities of the Materials Group businesses will be combined in a 1,600-square-meter, state-of-the-art Research and Development Center. The research and development center is designed to maximize interaction with its business partners in the building, while offering a world-class infrastructure to the scientist and product developers.
Collaborative Work Space. Employee input and the latest research in workplace optimization is driving the design of the building’s office space. The office environment will use an “open space” floor plan to eliminate boundaries and facilitate greater interaction. Numerous meeting rooms of various sizes will provide for group collaboration.
Sustainability. To meet its commitment to sustainable social and environmental practices, Avery Dennison selected OVG Real Estate as its development partner. OVG, one of the leading firms in Europe focusing on sustainable real estate building practices, and Avery Dennison will apply BREEAM “Very Good” certification criteria to the new headquarters building. Some sustainable features of the research center are a heat and cold storage, energy efficient lightning with motion control, heat-resistant glazing, a sedum roof and atrium.
“From the spacious atrium that allows light and air to penetrate the space, to in-ground storage of heating and cooling surpluses and energy-saving taps, showers and elevators, the building in Oegstgeest is designed to reflect Avery Dennison’s commitment to sustainability,” said Coen van Oostrom, CEO of OVG Real Estate. “OVG wants to be the front-runner, also in sustainable research and development centers and we are proud to develop the European head office of Avery Dennison. Not only is it an important project for the Leiden Bio Science Park, it benefits the Dutch economy as well.”
Avery Dennison’s selected the Leiden Bio Science Park as its new location because it is a focal point for research-based organizations, including a number of medical life science and pharmaceutical companies. Highly specialized Avery Dennison materials and adhesives are used in medical applications ranging from packaging and specialized pharmaceutical labels to wound dressings, surgical drapes and wearable sensors.
“Avery Dennison has a long, successful history in Europe and the Leiden area,” said Donald A. Nolan, president of the Materials Group. “Today we are building the future by establishing a beautiful new home office that will be a place to collaborate, innovate and be inspired. The Park’s culture of science and discovery aligns perfectly with our company’s vision to ‘make every brand more inspiring and the world more intelligent.’”
About Avery Dennison
Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) is a global leader in labeling and packaging materials and solutions. The company’s applications and technologies are an integral part of products used in every major market and industry. With operations in more than 50 countries and 30,000 employees worldwide, Avery Dennison serves customers with insights and innovations that help make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent. Headquartered in Pasadena, California, the company reported sales from continuing operations of $6 billion in 2011.
About OVG Real Estate
OVG Real Estate is an independent project developer, founded by Coen van Oostrom in 1997.The company develops extremely sustainable buildings—always from the tenants’ perspective. Currently OVG is the Netherlands’ leading commercial developer and one of the leading developers in Europe, with construction and development projects valued at more than two billion euros. The company has always been a front-runner in sustainability and is furthermore characterized by its entrepreneurship, solid financial position, integrity and strong relationship with its end-users. OVG is actively involved in international networks such as the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative and Corenet Global.
Source: Avery Dennison press release, 30 October 2012