Wacker establishing Michigan R&D centre
Canadian Plastics
MaterialsBased at Michigan Innovation Headquarters, a co-work campus facility in Ann Arbor, the centre will consist of several labs for R&D and analytics.
In a bid to boost its business and product development in the Americas, Germany-based chemical supplier Wacker AG is establishing a new R&D centre in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Based at Michigan Innovation Headquarters, a co-work campus facility in Ann Arbor, the centre will consist of several labs for R&D and analytics.
In a statement, Wacker said it’s investing “a single digit million US-dollar figure mainly for equipment and installation of the labs” in the first phase of the centre’s development.
The facility will officially open in the first half of 2017.
The labs will be operated by Wacker Chemical Corporation (WCC), Wacker’s Adrian, Mich.-based subsidiary for North, Central and South America.
“Projects Wacker intends to pursue right from the start include health and medical care applications, solutions for coatings and paints, silicone-based softeners, and personal care products,” said David Wilhoit, WCC’s president and CEO. “We already have R&D operations in Germany and in Asia. Our R&D centre in Ann Arbor furthers the strategic regionalization of Wacker’s global network of research and development.”
“With Ann Arbor considered a technology hub, it complements the company’s business model to be close to its customers and close to regional market trends,” Wilhoit added.
