Honeywell announced that it will establish a new technology center in Gurgaon, India, to expand its global research capabilities in refining, petrochemical and other technologies in order to better serve customers in the region.
The company will invest $34 million to establish the 400,000 square-foot center at an existing Honeywell-owned property. The center will primarily house pilot plants for developing and demonstrating refining and petrochemical process technology developed by UOP, a Honeywell subsidiary that is part of Honeywell’s Specialty Materials business group.
The center will also include labs for process and applications development for other Specialty Materials technology areas, including fluorine products and nylon materials. The center is expected to employ 100 within five years.
“This center will allow us to conduct development closer to our end customers, while at the same time tapping the recognized engineering talent of India,” said Andreas Kramvis, president and CEO of Honeywell Specialty Materials. “It will strengthen our product and process commercialization capabilities globally, but especially in Asia, where it will complement our existing research center in Shanghai, China.”
The center will be managed by UOP India Private Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of UOP that has an existing 250-person process technology engineering center in Gurgaon. UOP is a recognized global leader in developing and licensing process technology used in refining and the production of petrochemicals and renewable fuels.
“UOP has been a partner to the Indian refining and petrochemical industry since 1930, with our technology in every refinery in the country,” said Rajeev Gautam, UOP president and CEO, who announced the lab investment at an event in New Delhi. “This investment further demonstrates our commitment to serving our customers in India and the entire region.”
The new center will also support other Specialty Materials businesses, conducting research and customer-specific engineering work in caprolactam, a key material used in nylon production, and nylon resin. The center will also support Specialty Materials fluorines business, doing customer application work in areas such as blowing agents used in energy-efficient spray foam insulation.
Honeywell has had a growing presence in India, with five manufacturing locations, 10 key offices and sales presence in more than 50 cities. Honeywell’s employee base in India has grown from 1,000 employees in 2002 to more than 10,000 today. Honeywell earlier this year opened a $50 million research, development and engineering facility in Bangalore, India, the second Honeywell research and development facility in that city, to support Honeywell businesses.
Honeywell Specialty Materials is a global leader in providing customers with high-performance specialty materials, including fluorine products; specialty films and additives; advanced fibers and composites; intermediates; specialty chemicals; electronic materials and chemicals; and technologies and materials for petroleum refining and petrochemical production.
