DSM Engineering Plastics (Sittard / The Netherlands; www.dsmep.com) has opened an office near San Francisco, California / USA (Bay Area) to meet growing demand from the consumer electronics business in nearby Silicon Valley. Richard Pieters, president of the DSM plastics subsidiary, said that as the company offers a complete portfolio of solutions for smart phones, tablets and ultrabooks, the placement of a team there will bring the its extensive research and development capabilities closer to this market.

“We are making this move to give DSM a hub in the fastest-growing design area and be close to the designers and engineers of electronics – completing the circle as we already have a solid footprint in the manufacturing base,” Pieters said. Additionally, the proximity to West Coast customers will help the company drive early involvement in product design, thus leading to shorter development cycles and more efficient manufacturing processes.

DSM’s new California office will encompass account management, engineering and application development roles, along with design and innovation. The local team will focus primarily on global electronics OEMs and brand owners operating in the region, but the Bay Area base also will serve as a hub to supply the electric-vehicle and sports markets. The Dutch company’s engineering plastics range includes polyamides PA and PA 6.6, PA 4.6 and an eco-based PA it claims to be “carbon neutral from cradle to grave,” in addition to thermoplastic polyesters PBT and PET and the high performance polymers PPS and TPE.