SWISS fluid and chemical engineering company Sulzer has opened a new research and development (R&D) facility in Singapore, its first one in Asia-Pacific and the second outside of Switzerland.

It has invested over S$10 million into the facility, with plans to grow its local team of 150 by 20 to 30 staff over the next three years, the group said on Tuesday (Mar 5).

The new facility will be dedicated to developing better, more precise and energy-efficient chemical engineering processes.

These include recycling hard-to-recycle items like polystyrene, EV batteries and lubricant oils. It will also cover the production of bio-based goods, like polylactic acid – a plastic derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane.

Previously, the group’s Asia clients would have to work with Sulzer’s R&D facility in Switzerland to develop these new processes.

Located at JTC CleanTech Three in the Jurong Innovation District, the new facility, called the Innovation Technology Hub (InTecH), has a nine-storey fractional distillation tower.

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“InTecH Chemical Processes Singapore is poised to revolutionise the Green Tech landscape in South-east Asia. Our state-of-the-art R&D facility provides unparalleled access to cutting-edge technologies, empowering manufacturers and processors to innovate and produce eco-efficient, high-quality products,” said Sulzer chief executive Suzanne Thoma.

The facility allows Sulzer to offer end-to-end services to a broader client base in Asia, including those in the pharmaceutical and biofuel sectors, it added.