Nouryon inaugurated a new state-of-the-art innovation center in Shanghai to accelerate localized product development, customer co-creation, and sustainable growth across China and the Asia-Pacific region. The facility more than doubles the size of the company’s previous center and significantly enhances testing and analytical capabilities for high-growth sectors, including agriculture, electronics, construction, pharmaceuticals, and personal care.
Strategic Milestone in the China Growth Plan
Charlie Shaver, Chairman and CEO of Nouryon, said, “This center will support rapid prototyping, performance testing, and the development of high-performance, market-tailored solutions.” The Shanghai center becomes the fourteenth facility in Nouryon’s global innovation network.
Expanded Technical Capabilities Across Key Product Lines
The center features eight specialized laboratories, including dedicated labs for:
*Expancel® thermoplastic microspheres for lightweight materials
*Kromasil® chromatography media used in pharmaceutical purification
*Levasil® colloidal silica applied in catalyst and petrochemical industries
*Bermocoll® cellulose ethers for water-based paints and coatings
These labs will support application engineering, performance testing, and technical service for customers across China.
Customer Experience Center for Personal Care
A major addition is the new Personal Care customer experience center, designed for hands-on collaboration. The space allows joint formulation development, live product demonstrations, and performance evaluations aligned with local consumer preferences.
Laboratory Focus Areas
Each lab is equipped to address sector-specific needs:
*Personal Care: Skin, sun, hair, and color care formulation
*Cleaning: Solutions for household and industrial cleaning
*Paints and Coatings: Optimization of water-based coating systems
*Agriculture: Formulation development for liquid and solid agrochemicals
*Natural Resources: Support for applications in batteries, electronics, natural fibers, fuels, and mining
Advancing Sustainability Goals
The facility will accelerate the development of eco-friendly product solutions, such as low-VOC coatings, biopolymer-based personal care ingredients, biobased chelates, and more sustainable microsphere technologies.
As per the press release, the company also announced it will open an Organic Peroxides Innovation Center in Tianjin in 2026, further strengthening its research and customer support capabilities in the region.
