ARLANXEO, a global leader in performance elastomers, has officially inaugurated its Innovation Center Asia (ICA) in Changzhou, China. This marks a major expansion of its regional R&D footprint and a strategic push to accelerate innovation for both local and global markets.
The new center is an upgraded evolution of the company’s former Regional Technical Center, now repositioned as a full-scale Asia innovation hub. The move significantly strengthens ARLANXEO’s global research and development capabilities, with a sharper focus on supporting customers in China and across international markets.
The inauguration ceremony brought together senior leadership, including Herman Dikland, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at ARLANXEO, and Hong Sun, Managing Director at ARLANXEO China.
The upgraded facility features expanded infrastructure, a strengthened technical team, and enhanced laboratory capabilities. Its scope now spans rubber compounding and processing, physical testing and chemical analysis of polymers, compounds and vulcanizates, as well as battery application development, prototyping, and testing.
A newly added dedicated chemistry lab will support the company’s HNBR plant in Changzhou and global HNBR R&D initiatives.
“Innovation is a core driver of ARLANXEO’s sustainable growth, and China plays an important role in our global innovation ecosystem. This state-of-the-art laboratory facility puts us in an excellent position to advance our R&D capabilities and reinforce our market position.
"We look forward to driving frontier innovation together with our passionate and creative China team, while bringing China-based innovation into solutions for global markets,” said Herman Dikland, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at ARLANXEO.
Strategically located at ARLANXEO’s Changzhou site, adjacent to its EPDM and HNBR production plants, the center is designed to accelerate local innovation through closer customer collaboration. Its strong expertise in compounding, processing, and advanced analytics is expected to help address rapidly evolving market needs.
The facility will also work in tandem with ARLANXEO’s Innovation Center in Dormagen, Germany, enabling global synergies in method development, advanced equipment exploration, and product innovation for customers worldwide.
“The inauguration of the Innovation Center Asia reflects our commitment to supporting the rapid transformation of China’s rubber industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period,” said Hong Sun, Managing Director at ARLANXEO China.
“With growing demand for advanced materials and customized formulations, the new center will further strengthen our proximity to customers, enhance our agility in meeting market needs and better support the upgrading of the entire rubber industry.”
