Industry News
Jakarta office
BMS to push for growth in Asia through innovation
G
ermany-based chemicals company Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) recently inaugurated a regional innovation hub for Asia Pacific in Shanghai, China. It has a workforce of 200 who are to innovate ideas for the use of polyurethanes (PUs), polycarbonates (PCs), foams and coatings in key sectors such as mobility, construction, IT and renewable energy. CEO of BMS Patrick Thomas said the hub will become a significant contributor to the firm’s overall global innovation network. “We are determined to keep growing in the Asia Pacific region. But further growth will only be achievable through innovation,” he said at the inauguration ceremony. Asia Pacific is among the strongest growth regions for BMS and accounted for more than one quarter of its total sales in 2012. This growth is mainly driven by a rising number of infrastructure projects and increasing demand for cars, electronic/consumer goods and new housing from an emerging middle class. Urbanisation is further driving the construction and mobility sectors. At the same time, the growing demand for energy is prompting governments to look at sustainable sources, such as wind and solar energy.
CEO of BMS Patrick Thomas, on the far left, seen here at the inauguration ceremony together with other officials
“In order to be relevant and result in growth, our innovation has to be closely aligned with the needs of the markets in Asia Pacific,” added Thomas. As such the 333,681 sq ft hub, which is located at the company’s existing Polymer Research & Development Centre (PRDC), will provide support to R&D facilities in South Korea, Taiwan, India and Japan. It will work with the innovation centre in Japan, which serves Japan’s
6
JUNE / JULY 2013
The new innovation building at the Regional Innovation Hub Asia Pacific
mature and China’s emerging market needs; the facility in South Korea, which serves the local automotive and IT sectors; TPU R&D centre in Taiwan and the adhesives and coatings laboratories in China and India respectively. In addition, the firm works in tandem with research institutes such as the RWTH Aachen (Polytechnic School), Germany; Chinese Academy of Science; Tianjin’s Nankai University and Tongji University, Shanghai. The innovation hub will also be supported by a network of production sites in Asia Pacific, the biggest ones being in Shanghai, Map Ta Phut (Thailand) and Niihama (Japan). Furthermore, it will serve as a capability-building centre to attract local talent and enhance knowledgebuilding and transfer. The PRDC employees are expected to work in global cross-boundary teams, including colleagues at R&D centres in Europe and the US. Increased research spending in China In 2012, BMS spent EUR242 million on R&D, which is approximately 10% of the total Bayer R&D for polymer materials, and registered nearly 200 patents. BMS’s focus on China is easy to deduce. Though Japan and South Korea are leaders in R&D spending in Asia Pacific, Thomas said, “China is catching up with its peers due to increased spending. The country accounts for approximately 15% of the total global R&D spending and it overtook the US in 2011 to become the leading country where patents were filed.” He also said that R&D expenses for BMS in the country are expected to increase from 1.75% of the GDP in 2010 to 2.2% of the GDP by 2020.
INDUSTRY NEWS "We are aiming to reach a global innovation footprint for Bayer and its partners by exporting Chinamade technology to the rest of the world by 2020," said Thomas. Material focus at the centre A main focus at the innovation centre will be innovations based on PU material. For instance, in the construction industry, the PU pultrusion technology is a driving force for window frames, allowing for weather and corrosion-resistance, strength and low thermal conductivity with flame retardancy. Renowned as the next generation matrix for wind rotor blades production, the PU infusion resin technology features rapid wetting speed and short cure time, thus allowing for higher productivity and reduced mould investment. Meanwhile, the firm has developed a PC multi-layer injection moulding technology for LED lenses, while its waterborne, solvent-free PU coatings for vehicles feature reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Another innovation is the Baypreg F, a twocomponent PU system used in the compression moulding of natural fibre mats or fibre-reinforced sandwich panels for composite automotive parts such as door panels. Environmental sustainability is another key focus for BMS. For instance, the 2-K MDI binder system for bamboo floorboards has a cross-linker component that creates a strong adhesion for renewable bamboo flooring. This is especially useful since abundant supplies of bamboo resources are available in South China. An environmental friendly new technology is the DirectCoating/DirectSkinnning (DCDS) process that
The firm has installed German injection moulding machinery at its centre, including machines from Arburg, Demag and KraussMaffei
allows manufacturers to produce a coated or skinned component in a one-step process, directly on the injection moulding machine (as opposed to multicomponent moulding). The above are just some of the innovations that BMS has launched, said Thomas in his presentation at the inauguration ceremony. Amongst the facilities offered at the centre are process evaluations of RHCM (rapid heat cycle moulding), MuCell physical foaming, DCDS (DirectCoating/DirectSkinning) and thinwall moulding. Future expansions include the addition of auxiliary testing devices, based on customer requirements, for the final products, adding on to the mould services already offered at the tooling shop.