HONG KONG — German specialty chemicals and plastics maker Lanxess AG said April 18 that it has opened an application development center for plastics in Hong Kong's Science and Technology Park.
The center will serve as a hub for application development in Asia-Pacific and India for the company's High Performance Materials business unit, and will complement its existing research and development center in Wuxi, Jiangsu province.
In particular the Leverkusen, Germany-based company said it hoped the center would help it better target automotive industry applications such as light weighting.
"High performance plastics play a vital role in the green mobility megatrend by reducing auto weight and fuel consumption as lighter alternatives to metals," said Christof Krogmann, vice president Asia Pacific for the High Performance Materials business unit, in a statement.
"With our technology know-how, expertise in lightweight solutions as well as high performance Pocan and Durethan products, we are committed to driving the automotive industry towards a greener future," he said.
He said the Hong Kong Science Park has 300 high-tech companies and universities on its campus, and that creates opportunities for Lanxess to partner in new scientific development. The park was named the science park of the year for 2012 in Asia by World Finance magazine, Lanxess said.