Shanghai — Solvay Engineering Plastics is setting up a part-testing lab in Shanghai to support its Asia client base. It will be the company's first application performance testing center outside of Europe.
The company made the announcement at an April 24 news conference in advance of Chinaplas.
The lab is dedicated to metal-replacement applications, with additional apparatus for testing thermal management and fluid barrier applications.
“Our decision to create a dedicated facility in Shanghai will greatly enhance our ability to respond to our Chinese and Asian customers, thereby offering an optimum service to tiers and OEMs active in the region,” said Peter Browning, general manager for Solvay Engineering Plastics.
Albert Wong, global automotive marketing manager said: “We see the growing demand for automotive component testing needs in Asia. This is a high-growth market. As of today, most of the part testing that we support for the customer we do in Europe. But the market is here. So we decided to really heavily invest in China serving the range of customers in China and the region.”
Solvay said it generated pro forma net sales of 12.4 billion euros ($13.9 billion) in 2015, with 90 percent from activities where it ranks among the world's top 3 players.