HZ Info, On October 15, Arkema announced that its Shanghai R&D Center had completed expansion and was officially inaugurated. This will take the center into a new phase, strengthening its strategic role as an innovation platform for the Group and better serving the development needs of the group's various business areas. The upgraded R&D center will promote cross-business collaboration and work with customers in China and Asia on joint innovation, accelerating the development of cutting-edge applications and advanced sustainable material solutions. This expansion is also highly aligned with the Arkema's strategic direction of continuously strengthening its global R&D network.
Thierry Le Hénaff, Chairman and CEO of Arkema Group, together with the Consul General of France in Shanghai, local government representatives, customers, partners, and management representatives, jointly inaugurated the upgraded R&D center.
Mr. Thierry Le Hénaff, Chairman and CEO of Arkema Group, said: "China is Arkema's second-largest country market and one of the most dynamic innovation markets in the world. Chinese industries and customers are continuously accelerating the pace of R&D, which requires us to continuously strengthen our local R&D capabilities so as to be closer to the market and actual application needs. This upgrade of the Shanghai R&D Center will help us better integrate technical expertise across different businesses and co-develop with customers specialty material solutions that combine high performance and sustainability."
The Arkema Shanghai R&D Center was formerly the Bostik Asia R&D Center, established in 2011. Over the 15 years since its establishment, the center has built R&D capabilities covering material synthesis, formulation development, and validation using simulated customer production lines. Many of its R&D results have been applied in fields such as high-speed rail, food packaging, and sustainable consumer goods.
This expansion of the R&D center focuses on the "One Arkema" strategy, strengthening Arkema's role in the value chain as a deep co-creation partner for customers by connecting material expertise across different business units. After the upgrade, laboratory space has increased by approximately 20%, and new co-creation spaces, including an interactive showroom, have been added. These will visually showcase Arkema's one-stop specialty material solutions and facilitate closer interaction with customers and partners. At the same time, they will further deepen connections with the local innovation ecosystem. Through cooperation with institutions such as Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) and Lücheng Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., the center will strengthen ties with start-ups and emerging technology companies.
In China, Arkema will continue to expand its local R&D network in key regions:
● At the beginning of this year, Arkema launched a modernization and capacity expansion project for the battery materials laboratory at its Changshu R&D Center. In the next two months, the project will reach an important new milestone.
● In Guangzhou, Arkema is advancing the construction of a "One Arkema" laboratory, focusing on serving customers in the electronics and battery sectors.
Globally, Arkema will continue to rely on its strong global R&D network to enhance innovation capabilities, fully integrating the professional experience of its Chinese R&D team with the technical expertise of the Group's R&D centers in other parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States.