Roquette Inaugurates New Technical Center in Singapore
Roquette has announced the opening of a Food Customer Technical Service (CTS) Center in Singapore, strengthening its position in Asia.
The company says that the Food CTS Center will enable Roquette to anticipate and respond to an increasing demand for Asia-specific product applications in Food, Nutrition and Health sectors. This new facility will form part of the overall Asia Pacific Innovation Center based in Singapore, that has already developed a strong expertise in R&D. It further intensifies Roquette’s technical capabilities in Asia, which currently rely on CTS Centers in Shanghai (China), Mumbai (India), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore.
This move will also allow the company to further develop strategic partnerships with customers, universities and research institutions in the region, and will also help in tailoring solutions to the distinct preferences, health requirements and cultural needs of Asian consumers. The Food CTS Center’s customer base will consist of multinational companies, regional players and local start-ups. It will bring together technology and expertise to develop solutions with a unique sensory experience in baking, dairy, confectionery, savory and specialized nutrition market segments. The CTS Center will have a broad range of capabilities including formulation, texture improvement, new application development and understanding of the features of ingredients in finished products, Roquette explains in a press release.
The company aims to staff this new center with five scientists by the end of 2019 and to be a true partner for its customers in innovation, novel food technologies, formulation, and application, providing also training to support application development.
The burgeoning middle class throughout Asia and their distinct tastes and requirements underpin Roquette’s strategy to continue expanding its presence in the region. At the same time, increasing health consciousness and consumer concerns over sustainability across the region have created an increasing demand for Roquette’s plant-based products, such as new sources of protein. According to Mintel (2017 Food and Drink Trends report), vegetarian claims increased by 140% for food and drink launches in Southeast Asia between 2012 and 2016.
Rod Quin, vice president of the Roquette food global business unit said: “The opening of this new Food CTS Center in Singapore is a proof-point of our resolve to better serve our customers. This region is a major focus area for us and this new center will help us extend our activities into key markets in the region by bringing us closer to our customers. Roquette is strongly positioned to meet specific Asian consumer needs in Food, Nutrition and Health markets as dietary habits and lifestyles continue to evolve.”