Confectionery giant Mondelēz International has unveiled a new technical centre in Jurong, Singapore.
The new facility will focus on innovation, developing new products and technologies for some of the company's well-known brands like Clorets, Halls, Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate and Oreo biscuits.
The centre comes as part of the Mondelēz' $65 million investment in nine fully-equipped and technologically advanced research, development and innovation hubs, strategically positioned around the globe, according to the company.
This venture will allow for Mondelēz to better recruit, retain and develop talent across a range of science and technical disciplines, while streamlining processes and accelerating the company's growth and innovation, it said.
"Our purpose and vision at Mondelēz International are simple — to create more moments of joy for our consumers with our much-loved brands by building the best snacking company in the world," said Maurizio Brusadelli, EVP & president AMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa).
“Singapore's fantastic infrastructure, thriving RDQI ecosystem and the collaborative approach of government organisations makes it a perfect place for innovation.”
Diverse Workforce
The Singapore technical centre will host up to 75 scientists, developers, engineers, analytical chemists and other specialists from all over the world.
The site is equipped with multiple technical capabilities, such as a pilot facility, a packaging creative studio and a range of labs for technical research, according to Mondelēz.
The team will closely collaborate on innovations with more than 35 sites in the company’s manufacturing network across AMEA.
The new hub joins the company’s portfolio of five operational technical centres, in East Hanover, New Jersey; Curitiba in Brazil; Bournville and Reading, both in the UK; and Wroclaw in Poland.
Further Expansion
Mondelēz plans to open further redesigned technical centres in India, Mexico and China between 2018 and 2019.
The company has had a presence in Singapore since the mid-80s, and in 2016, the Southeast Asian city-state became home to its Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region headquarters.
In the AMEA region, the business makes, markets and sells to consumers in more than 100 markets, stretching from New Zealand to Morocco, according to the company.
The confectionery company recorded a slight revenue drop of 0.1% in 2017, down to $25.89 billion, while organic revenue grew slightly by 0.9%.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
