Solvay and Grace Open China Centers

Solvay is setting up a new technical center in Shanghai to meet fast-growing demand from Chinese clients for specialty polymers.

The new entity—Solvay High Performance Materials R&D (Shanghai) Co.—is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2006. The center will provide R&D services to Chinese clients who plan to design and process new parts manufactured with Solvay's range of specialty polymers. Future developments could include upstream research work in the specialty polymers value chain.

Located in the Shanghai Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, the new site will also allow Solvay to group its local teams active in chemicals and plastics sectors in new facilities. The Zhangjiang park, in Shanghai’s Pudong new area, is designated for the development of new and high technology, mainly in the fields of information and communication technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and new materials.

Separately, W.R. Grace is opening a new office in Shanghai and a technical service center in Beijing. The Shanghai office serves as the headquarters for Grace China Ltd. and is a consolidation of four separate offices.

The technical service center includes chemical and physical testing laboratories for cement and cement additives, as well as physical testing facilities for concrete and concrete admixtures. Grace now operates manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Tianjin.