Rhodia, France sets up Asia Pacific R & D center i

Rhodia France set up Asia Pacific R & D center in Shanghai

including filling and reinforcing materials. Rhodia France set up Asia Pacific R & D center in Shanghai

April 15, 2004

China's economic center Shanghai, which was designated as its Asia Pacific R & D center by Rhodia, a French professional chemical company, on April 9. Shanghai R & D center will be the only R & D center set up by Rhodia in the Asia Pacific region. The company is also the fifth R & D center established by Rhodia in France, the United States and Brazil to support the company's 19 laboratories in China, of which the first laboratory was established in 1997. Other laboratories in the Asia Pacific region are located in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Thailand

the center will be built in the Rhodia science and Technology Park in Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park. 80% of its energy will be used to support Rhodia's business in China, and the remaining 20% will be used to maintain business relations with South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Li, deputy general manager in charge of regional development and management of Rhodia Asia Pacific Company, said that the reason for choosing Shanghai was that "China will develop into an economic center in the Asia Pacific region". In the past three years, the laboratory set up by the company in Shanghai has developed three new products and put them into the European and American markets in a linear way, overturning the situation of European technology in the past. Vice President Li said: "we will double the size and number of personnel of the center within three years, and develop new products during this period."

according to serge villatte, general manager of Rhodia, the center is part of expanding its business in China. Rhodia is considering investing more money in China. Over the past decade, China has invested 338 million yuan to build 15 factories, including 5 wholly foreign-owned enterprises. China will be the new development focus of Luodi Asia in the next two years

Jean Pierre clamadieu, CEO of Rhodia, said during his visit to China in January: "China is very important for Rhodia's further development strategy." China's human resources will become the key factor for the success of Rhodia. Rhodia's global net sales last year were $8 billion, of which China accounted for 5%. Serge villatte said the proportion would double in three years. Rhodia has also developed business expansion plans, including the purchase of local Chinese enterprises. According to Rong Zhonghua, acting general manager of Rhodia Corporation, the company invested US $3 million to buy a state-owned pharmaceutical factory in Wuxi, and now invested US $15 million to rebuild and upgrade it