Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has opened its first Polymer Development & Technology Centre in South Korea to help develop polymer applications in high-tech products in sectors including IT and automotive.
BMS said the new centre reflected its “on-going commitment to enhancing its presence in Asia Pacific to offer local customers better access to the company’s know-how, expertise and advanced application technology”.
The South Korean facility, located in the city of Yongin, near the capital Seoul, is the latest in a network of global research and development and applications centres, including main regional innovation hubs in the US, Germany and China.
"Over the past decade, Korea has emerged as a centre for cutting-edge high-tech products," said Michael Koenig, a BMS executive committee board member and head of its polycarbonate business unit.
"Large Korean companies are offering their latest technology worldwide, but their development and research mainly happens in Korea. With our new tech centre we can be closer to them, better engage in long-term R&D partnerships and fulfill their needs with greater efficiency and speed."
Koenig said he believed the centre will become a driving force in the further development of innovative products in Korea.
Bayer said it had chosen Yongin as a location given its proximity to other research and development centres and manufacturing facilities of many of Korea’s global companies.