Solvay, a global market leader in specialty materials, has officially opened another application development lab (ADL) in Shanghai to expand the global footprint of its research and innovation capabilities. The opening ceremony of the new lab was held on May 12.

“There is an enormously growing demand for new application development in various Chinese key industries, such as automotive, life sciences and electronics,” stated Andrew Lau, Senior Executive Vice President of Solvay’s Materials global business unit. “Our new ADL addresses this trend with a significant investment aimed at responding to local market needs faster and with greater proximity to customers than ever, providing tailored high-performance material solutions.”

With a team of some 30 highly qualified and experienced scientists, engineers and technicians, the Shanghai ADL will be fully equipped to advance custom-tailored application developments using state-of-the-art Solvay technologies.

Solvay opens another application development lab in Shanghai to respond to growing customer demand for tailored solutions with high-performance materials in China.

An Innovation Workshop will coordinate the resources to accelerate the implementation of local solutions through world class simulation, prototyping and performance evaluation services, complemented by various dedicated process equipment, such as for 3D printing, extrusion and noise-vibration-harshness (NHV) improvements.

“The new ADL will follow a triple strategy focusing on local-for-local, global-for-local and local-for-global innovation,” explained Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux, Solvay’s Chief Technology Officer. “Unique facilities to support these efforts include a semiconductors clean room environment enabling high-purity and high-temperature testing, separation capabilities for hemodialysis and water filtration applications, and a functional and industrial coatings facility.”

Major local and global end markets expected to benefit from Solvay’s Shanghai based Application Development Lab will be automotive, new energy, life solutions and pharmacy, smart devices and semiconductors.