Cadbury and Oreo maker Mondelez opens global innovation hub in Jurong, its first in Asia

THE world's No 2 confectionary company, Mondelez International, opened on Thursday a state-of-the-art facility in Jurong that will focus on innovation and developing new products and technologies for some of the company's iconic gum and candy brands like Clorets, Halls, Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate and Oreo biscuits.

Its Singapore Technical Center (STC) is part of the snack giant's US$65 million investment in nine research, development, quality and innovation (RDQI) hubs in the world - and the first fully operational one in Asia.

These hubs will improve speed, efficiency and effectiveness, while increased scale will enable us to more quickly meet consumer needs," said Rob Hargrove, Mondelez executive vice president for research, development, quality and innovation.

It will be home to up to 75 experts - scientists, developers, engineers, analytical chemists and other specialists - from all over the world and will see Mondelez's RDQI team will work closely on innovations with more than 35 sites across across its Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) manufacturing network .

The STC will be equipped with multiple technical capabilities such as a pilot facility, a packaging creative studio and a range of research labs.

Maurizio Brusadelli, EVP & president AMEA said: "Singapore's fantastic infrastructure, thriving RDQI ecosystem and the collaborative approach of government organisations and public-private partnerships make it a perfect place for innovation."

"This is one of the many reasons why we have made Singapore the home of our AMEA region."

Representatives from the Economic Development Board and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), who supported the development of the centre, were present at Thursday's launch.

Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of A*Star, said: "This centre is the latest addition to the rapidly expanding food and nutrition innovation cluster in Singapore ... A*star certainly looks forward to building a long-term partnership with Mondelez International."

Mondelez is also looking forward to attracting Singapore's diverse pool of young tech talent, Mr Hargrove said.

The Singapore hub joins five other Technical Centers that are already in operation: two in the United Kingdom, and one each in Poland, Brazil and the US.

The remainder of its network of redesigned Technical Centers - in India, Mexico and China - are expected to open in 2018, Mondelez added.