Avery Dennison celebrated the opening of its ADX (Avery Dennison Experience) Lab at its Miamisburg, Ohio, campus at the end of June. The lab will serve as the home for design and innovation for on-garment branding in the U.S. and marks the first phase of the company’s multi-million-dollar investment in its Dayton-area facility.

The ADX Lab spotlights how Avery Dennison uses a combination of digital technology and sustainability to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds. For example, one innovation uses smart technology in conjunction with sportswear team name and numbering, enabling consumers to use their smart phones to scan special shirt emblems or patches that unlock exclusive content including promotional offers and events, according to a press release shared by Printed Electronics Now.

Avery Dennison’s Dayton-area ADX Lab — a facility they call a “retail nirvana” — also focuses on helping high-profile teams and sports organizations realize the financial potential of on-garment branding, of apparel labeling and tagging, and of the ability to personalize at scale.

“This high-tech playground is at the forefront of apparel and material design innovations, relevant to a future that will increasingly see a blend of the physical and digital worlds,” said Steve Mason, VP and GM, EMEA and Americas, RBIS, Avery Dennison, in the press release. “Avery Dennison is trailblazing a new approach to apparel technologies directly meeting consumer and brand demands.”

In addition, the company is also working to improve the Ohio area through community support. Kyle Martino, sports TV host and former Major League Soccer (MLS) player, is the founder of non-profit Over Under Initiative (OUI), which increases access to sports for kids. Avery Dennison presented Martino with a donation to support OUI’s Dayton multi-sport court conversion.

“Opening our new ADX Lab at our Ohio site demonstrates our continued commitment to the Ohio area,” said Michael Barton, vice president and general manager, RBIS Apparel Solutions and chair of Avery Dennison’s North America Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. “We believe in supporting the communities in which we live and work, and that’s why we are proud to support Over Under Initiative’s renovation of a local basketball court.”

Avery Dennison employs nearly 500 people at its Ohio campus located in Miamisburg.