Dow Chemical International (Dow India) inaugurated a state-of-the-art application development hub, ‘Dow India Technology Centre’ (DITC) in Navi Mumbai. The centre will enable collaboration and innovation with customers to create sustainable, market-centric products and solutions. Over 70 highly skilled, research and development specialists with capabilities in analytical science, material science, process optimization, and IP search analysis will support business units in India and extend application support to markets in the region.
The centre was inaugurated by United States Consul General to Mumbai, Edgar D Kagan to the executives and employees of the company. Commenting on the inauguration, he said, “I congratulate Dow India on inauguration of their technology centre in Mumbai. The U.S.-India bilateral trade relationship is already USD 125 billion strong, and new projects and centres like this one only serve to strengthen the economies of both of our countries.”
Dr AN Sreeram, chief technology cfficer, The Dow Chemical Company, said, “Product life-cycles have dramatically changed and accelerated over the past decade. This trend creates the imperative for us to continually innovate in, understand and address these emerging market needs. Dow India Technology Centre (DITC) will be a unique step to accelerate new product development, develop scientific talent and the collaborative approach that we take with our current and future customers will give us and our customers a competitive edge in the marketplace.”
With over 5,000 customers, DITC will champion application-development at various scales. This centre will increase efficiency and improve speed in development and testing of products and solutions, in India, for India and the region. DITC will be a hotspot for cross-business initiatives and future-ready technologies, which will enable Dow India to create a future built on sustainable and relevant solutions.
Sudhir Shenoy, CEO, Dow India added, “The launch of the DITC will mark the second phase of growth for Dow India and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the Indian market, our customers, partners and distributors. The combined potential of sustained inflow of feedstock coming in from Sadara (our Joint Venture with Saudi Aramco), and the application development capabilities of DITC, will enable Dow India to adequately satiate demands of a rapidly growing Indian economy.”
Spread over 70,000 square feet, the centre has dedicated labs for six businesses of the company – Packaging & Specialty Plastics, Polyurethane, Consumer Solutions, Coating Materials, Industrial Solutions, Construction Chemicals along with capabilities in Analytical Science and Core R&D. The company contributes products and solutions across the spectrum and launch of DITC will strengthen its portfolio of over 2000 products in the country.
DITC has been designed to follow best-in-class safety standards. It is armed with advanced monitoring equipment, chemical handling and management systems, exposure control kits and is designed to protect any adverse environmental impact.
Over the last two decades, Dow India has been credited for revolutionizing the domestic consumer market with numerous inventions – from simple product innovations such as ‘Hawaii chappals’, shiny laptop screens, effective API’s for medicine, complex process innovations in packaging materials that enable “recycling” to solutions that enable saving water in the home laundry segment.