HB Fuller, the US-based adhesives company, has expanded its operations in India by opening an R&D center in its Shirwal (located 65 km from Pune, Maharashtra) manufacturing facility and a business office in Pune. The expansion, which marks the conclusion of HB Fuller’s first phase of investment of $20 million in India, will strengthen the company’s business in the country and the neighbouring areas.
HB Fuller has had a local presence in India since 2011 through its 24,000 metric tonne per annum manufacturing facility in Shirwal. Through the addition of its new business office in Pune and R&D center, the company will be able to help its customers solve problems, and create new solutions, more rapidly than ever before.
“We are pleased to be expanding our footprint in India. We are optimistic about the new opportunities our new business office and R&D center will provide us - and our customers. By having a state-of-the-art facility and adhesive experts on the ground in India, we will help accelerate innovation in the region and help drive customer performance,” said Jim Owens, president and chief executive officer, HB Fuller.
Kamal Johari, managing director of Nobel Hygiene, added, “We are really looking forward to leveraging HB Fuller’s new R&D capabilities in India. Having the strength of this leading global adhesives provider in our local community will be a key competitive advantage for our company.”
Spanning 5,000 sq ft of the Shirwal manufacturing facility, the new R&D center features dedicated areas to conduct experiments, run demonstrations and train customers on its hot melt, water-based, anaerobic and cyanoacrylate technologies. Its close proximity to the production floor also increases collaboration between the company’s R&D and operations teams.
HB Fuller, which recorded net revenue of $ 2.1 billion in fiscal 2016, is one of the leading global players in the field of adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products. The company serves customers from industries such as electronics, disposable hygiene, medical, transportation, clean energy, packaging, construction, woodworking, etc.
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