Aug 15 2007
“From its Research & Development (R&D) center in Shanghai, Degussa has enlarged the scope of its research and development work in China,” said Dr. Alfred Oberholz, deputy chairman of the management board of Degussa GmbH, in the opening ceremony for the expanded R&D Center in Shanghai. “The expansion underscores the strengthened R&D activities and the continued commitment of Degussa in China.”
Today, Degussa (China) Co., Ltd. announced that it had expanded its R&D Center in Shanghai, at a total investment of over €22 million. As one of the largest R&D centers ever established by a multinational company in Shanghai, the new R&D Center has a total of 25,000 square meters of space, housing state-of-the-art laboratories for research and development, application technology, and technical service. The investment included the construction of a pilot facility for polymer engineering in a four-story building with a footprint of 1,250 square meters.
The former R&D center was inaugurated in April 2004. Degussa invested €12 million in the Shanghai R&D center. The expansion provides, among other things, a regional hub for sales, marketing, technical services, R&D, and the service platform for customers in China and other countries in the Asia/Pacific region.
“With today’s inauguration of the new R&D Center Shanghai, we're delivering on our promise to further enhance our presence in China in research and development. Our enlarged R&D center will help us to strengthen the interface between Degussa’s business units and customers, universities, and research institutes in China and provide customers with tailor-made solutions and our high quality products. Our center will also be the principle site for our marketing and sales activities and the administrative functions of the Degussa China region,” said Dr. Dahai Yu, regional president of Degussa China. “The expansion of our R&D center marks yet another milestone for our Make China Happen initiative, which aims to boost our sales in China to €800 million by 2009."
About 2,300 of Degussa’s employees work in R&D at over 35 research locations all over the world, including the Nanotronics Science-to-Business Center and the new Bio Science-to-Business Center. Degussa also cooperates with more than 200 universities and research institutes in an effort to transfer scientific knowledge into business swiftly. Some 20 percent of group sales are based on products and technologies that are less than five years old.
Over the next few years, Degussa intends to invest about €100 million annually in China, which will further strengthen Degussa’s commitment to this important growth region.