Clariant Masterbatches opens first Project House

Clariant has announced that its Business Unit Masterbatches is to open its first Project House as part of its strategy to build the next level of innovation. The Project House is a 400m2 facility in Pogliano, Italy, which will house chemists and technicians as well as equipment, such as extrusion machinery and analytical equipment. Its key objective is to pursue breakthrough concepts and solutions in Masterbatches products and processes. The Project House represents an investment of approximately 2 million euro.

Through this initiative Clariant is able to co-locate industry know-how and connect teams of experts from around the world. The Project House identifies strategic areas and brings together interdisciplinary, cross-functional teams of scientists, technologists, marketers, academics, and suppliers to exchange expertise and explore emerging technologies and advanced concepts that can lead market innovation. The initial focus will be on “what’s next” in Functional Packaging with its sub-segments Food & Beverages, Personal Care, and Household & Cleaning. The key objective is to provide competitive advantage for customers through differentiation and speed-to-market.

To help design customized innovation networks and enable meaningful connections, the Project House will be fully integrated with Clariant’s Masterbatches activities globally and has strong interfaces with the Clariant organization, including other Business Units, R&D and the company’s brand-new Innovation Center (CIC) in Frankfurt.

The company is currently planning its second Project House, to be located outside of Europe. It will focus on a different strategic field, beyond functional packaging.