· This is the first of its kind for the company globally
· New state-of-the-art facility in Maharashtra will enhance Innovation, R&D and application development for Lubrizol and its customers, serving both local-for-local and local-for-global needs
· Facility builds on the success of the company’s existing India footprint by co-locating its labs and technical capabilities to accelerate development
· New facility builds on Lubrizol’s commitment of $350 million in localized manufacturing and in-region investments over the last two years
To accelerate India-based innovation, Lubrizol announced it will open a state-of-the-art Technology and Innovation Center in Maharashtra. The first of its kind for the company globally, the facility is designed to progress breakthrough innovations, expand collaboration, and enhance speed to market for Lubrizol and the many customers and industries it serves both in the region and globally.
The center will empower collaboration across Lubrizol, co-locating lab capabilities and expanding on the success of existing in-region technology Centers of Excellence (COE). The site will also include a Customer Experience Center, allowing Lubrizol to co-develop solutions with customers and partners. The facility will feature advanced analytical capabilities to support research needs, including automation and digital tools, allowing teams to apply decision science to accelerate next-generation solutions.
“Lubrizol has been synonymous with innovation for nearly 100 years, and this new center represents a significant commitment to our innovation locally,” said Bhavana Bindra, Lubrizol’s Managing Director India, Middle East and Africa. “The Technology and Innovation Center represents a significant commitment to our journey in the region. By bringing together expertise across multiple Lubrizol businesses, this facility will be a cornerstone of collaboration, automation and technological advancement for our teams and all those we serve.”
“An innovation center in Maharashtra provides proximity to key stakeholders, fostering seamless collaboration and operational efficiencies. Through a highly collaborative working space, the center enables strategic research and development, leveraging the best of our legacy innovation and formulation processes with future-state technology to help us take our quality innovation one step further,” said Dr. Rahul Misra, Lubrizol’s Sr. Director of Technology, India, Middle East and Africa.
Rebecca Liebert, Lubrizol’s President and Chief Executive Officer, added, “The Technology and Innovation Center will serve as a model for future global centers, aligning with our strategy of establishing interconnected innovation centers worldwide. Our innovation teams in India have already enabled significant innovation in the many industries we serve, including earning the company global customer innovation awards. We expect this center to expand on those successes.”
Lubrizol’s commitment to local R&D and innovation has been an active part of Lubrizol’s decades-long legacy in India. As one example, Lubrizol introduced CPVC pipingto the India market 25 years ago, enabling clean drinking water for thousands across the region. Today the region is a global leader in CPVC technology. Lubrizol’s India Bar Soap COE has helped improve the structural integrity and sustainability of bar soap, ensuring soaps last longer and create less waste, earning recognition from leading global brands. To support emerging regulatory changes and trends in transportation, the company also has a variety of in-region innovators focused on next-generation additive solutions.
Lubrizol’s Technology and Innovation Center announcement follows multiple Lubrizol investment announcements, with a more than $350 million USD commitment into India over the last 18 months. This includes bolstering Lubrizol’s manufacturing strength in the region with plans to construct the company’s second largest manufacturing facility globally to support the region’s growing transportation and industrial markets, as well as a collaboration to build the world’s largest CPVC resin plant.* The company also opened a Global Capability Center in Pune last year, doubled its capacity at its Dahej, Gujarat, manufacturing site and announced several other projects. The new Lubrizol Technology and Innovation Center will continue to expand Lubrizol’s network in India.
* World’s largest based on single-site capacity for CPVC resin