On September 6, Arkema celebrated the 25th anniversary of Changshu Site and the 10th anniversary of Changshu R&D Center. As one of the Group's largest industrial platforms in the world and the largest R&D center in Asia, Changshu Site and Changshu R&D Center have adopted the principles of open innovation and localization since inception. This has greatly contributed to the Group's business growth alongside bolstering the development of cutting-edge technologies in China and Asia.
Located in the Jiangsu Province’s Changshu Advanced Materials Industrial Park, Changshu Site integrates production, R&D, and a regional shared service center, with around €600 million capex invested.
Since its construction in 1998, Changshu Site has been investing and upgrading, as well as encouraging talent development. It has approximately 1,000 employees and is today recognized across a number of high-growth potential areas, including lithium batteries, clean energy, more environmentally friendly coatings, building energy efficiency, sports and consumer electronics. This has played a critical role in realizing the Group’s ambitious goal of providing a robust, regional supply of quality products for customers across Asia.
Last year, Changshu Site’s Arkema (Changshu) Fluorochemicals Co., Ltd. and Changshu Gaotai Auxiliaries Co., Ltd. were given the “Special Contribution Award of the Year” for their positive contributions to Suzhou’s economic development.
To support accelerating local market needs, Changshu Site has also continued increasing production. Early this year, Changshu Site has increased PVDF fluoropolymer production capacity by 50%, providing high-performance, sustainable solutions for the local and Asian markets. In the second quarter of this year, a new polyamide 11 powders plant was established, which will further support Asia’s growing demands for recyclable, high-performance bio-based materials.
Established in 2013, Changshu R&D Center has since become Arkema's largest R&D center in Asia. It is a hub that brings together and cultivates a well-established technical team.
For 10 years, its strong drive for innovation has created a number of new products and solutions capable of meeting local industry and customers’ expectations and needs. This was achieved through three key principles: embracing local needs, leveraging local-led development as the starting point, and facilitating cross-regional global collaboration.
This year, the R&D Center's laboratory has successfully obtained the Laboratory Accreditation Certificate issued by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), further confirming its professional capabilities.
