R&T NEWS…Ashland opens technical centre in Mumbai

Ashland opens technical centre in Mumbai

US-based speciality chemicals company, Ashland, has set up a care specialities technical research and development centre in Mumbai to support producers of personal and home care products in India and Southeast Asia.
The state-of-the-art facility will serve as a focal point for the research and development (R&D) work Ashland conducts on behalf of customers, with operations in the region. Activities at the new facility will centre on bringing new personal and home care innovations to market and providing technical support that may be required to meet consumers’ rising expectations for higher-performing products, the company said in a statement.
Presiding over the opening ceremony, Mr. John Panichella, Group Operating Officer and President, Ashland Specialty Ingredients, said with approximately 15% year-over-year growth in personal care expenditures, India is a market that increasingly requires the formulating expertise of Ashland’s technical team.
"Looking at the number of requests for assistance from companies in India over the past several years, it is obvious there are a number of advantages, for both Ashland and our customers, with a local technical team in Mumbai. This centre reflects our vision of aligning our R&D resources to support our customers’ innovation in personal and home care in this emerging market," Mr. Panichella said.
The facility is expected to cater to clients like Hindustan Unilever, P&G, Colgate Palmolive, L’Oreal, Godrej Consumer Products, Emami, Dabur India, Cavin Kare, Himalaya and Marico Industries among others, the release said. By setting up a facility centre in Mumbai, the company plans to collaborate with marketers and manufacturers on new product innovations directed at consumer needs in the region. "In addition, the technical team here will also provide preservative efficacy studies and general formulation support upon request. The centre will also serve as headquarters for key account managers in India and as a base of operations for distributor training and technical seminars," the company note said.
This facility has dedicated formulation laboratories to hair, skin, oral and home care, controlled environment laboratories for measurement science to support claims substantiation and a microbiology laboratory for preservative optimisation and micro challenge test, the release said.
The Mumbai technical centre expands Ashland’s global network of R&D and technical support facilities dedicated to personal and home care products. The new facility and 10 others around the world include centres of excellence in the US, France, the Netherlands, the UK and China, and technical laboratories in Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.
CHEMICAL WEEKLY 23 OCTOBER 12 ISSUE