Expanding its regional footprint in China, Dow Chemical (Midland, Michigan / USA; www.dow.com) on the occasion of “Chinaplas” (www.chinaplasonline.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 23.04.2014 – announced the opening of a new innovation centre in China. One of four regional innovation centres, Pack Studios Shanghai is aimed at offering the group’s customers tools with which they can accelerate the development of packaging innovations.

The Shanghai centre will serve as an innovation platform working closely together with Dow’s laboratory in Shanghai as well as its development centre in Singapore. Like the group’s other Pack Studios – located in Freeport, Texas / USA, Horgen / Switzerland and São Paulo / Brazil – the Shanghai hub includes a collaboration room, a laboratory as well as fabrication and testing equipment, and is specialised in film extrusion and packaging converting. The centre will allow customers to test different properties for food and beverage packaging, including protective barrier films, sealants, adhesives, rigid plastic and flexible packaging.

Commenting on the new centre, Mark Saurin, Asia Pacific vice president at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics, said, “As Asia Pacific’s middle class continues to grow, so do their expectations and demand for more innovative packaging solutions. The key drivers for such growing demand include food safety, changes in lifestyle and sustainability.”

At the ongoing "Chinaplas" fair, Dow is showcasing a range of packaging solutions for food, industrial, agricultural and medical applications, among others. At the fair, the US chemical giant officially launched its new “Robond L-98D” water-based adhesive for flexible film laminates in food packaging, specifically designed for PE laminate structures.