Lucas launches its new Centre of Excellence and Innovation

Lucas has launched its purpose built, stand-alone Centre of Excellence and Innovation situated alongside Lucas HQ in Wrotham, Kent.

The new multi-function complex includes our very own “future lab” for enhancing our sector-leading training and research and development programmes, as well as facilitating our growing collaborative partnership and consultancy activities with other forward-thinking companies to create innovations in fit out and finishing.

The purpose of our new training facilities is to advance the upskilling and continuing professional development of our workforce. Programmes will include training to apply complex, often multi-layered specialist resin flooring systems used in high-tech facilities such as science laboratories, data centres and emerging industries like car battery manufacturing. For teaching paint-spraying techniques or demonstrating the use of our latest technologies in real site situations. Demonstrations to show how we reduce our carbon footprint. Or to train operatives for site supervisory or more senior management roles.

The Centre also incorporates a large, flexible multi-use events space for seminars and mock ups.

The upper level of the Centre is given over to new innovations and our growing consultancy role in developing new products and techniques needed to find the technical solutions of tomorrow that will improve sustainability and solve increasingly demanding and complex building and refurbishment challenges.

They will include the development of new functional coatings that deaden sound, advance sustainability or improve the surrounding air quality. Or that are soft or cold to touch. Practical finishes that mimic other natural materials. Or new ways of applying paints by making use of robots and drones.

These collaborations include the ground-breaking work we have been doing with companies like AkzoNobel for their Paint The Future programme or the work we are doing with Sika with their latest resin flooring systems.

James Valentino, Lucas Business Operations Director, said: “The new Centre of Excellence and Innovation will not only help Lucas to continually improve our services and project delivery for clients, but also enable us to future-proof our workforce and make major contributions to the advancement of new products and construction techniques for the industry.”