On April 27, 2022, Elkem Silicones announced a plan to invest more than RMB100 million yuan to enlarge its Flagship Asia-Pacific R&I Center in Shanghai. This expansion represents one of the company’s latest efforts to further increase its investment in China. The flagship R&I center will house application centers for E-mobility, bioscience, coating, and 3D printing.

This expansion will allow Elkem Silicones to upgrade its research system and equipment in China in an all-around way while attracting outstanding R&I talents from around the world. All of this helps enhance the company’s ability to provide more efficient, flexible and convenient product development and application support for China and other Asia-Pacific markets. With the upgraded center, Elkem Silicones will be in a better position to meet the growing demand for advanced silicone products, technologies and solutions in e-mobility, healthcare, personal care, textiles, 3D printing and other industries.

The newly upgraded R&I center is located in Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Zone and its precursor was established in 2009. It won the titles of Shanghai Enterprise Technology Center, Shanghai Foreign-funded R&I Center, Shanghai High-tech Enterprise, and Little Science and Technology Giant. Over the past decade, it has obtained a number of silicone research and application achievements. The first phase of the project covers an area of about 6,600 square meters. Construction work on the center is due to start in the third quarter of this year and will be completed in the first quarter of 2023.