Lubrizol has upgraded its Singapore based lab to extend its performance coatings expertise in Asia.

The center worth $5.5 million opened in 2013, expanding from a small rented lab space to cater to product R&D, formulation development, in-depth applications testing and a greater understanding of structural properties.

At the time, its opening marked a milestone for Lubrizol Advanced Materials' growth in the region, having seen strong demand for its skin cleansing products.

According to the company, this latest investment represents Lubrizol's focus of bringing solutions to the most challenging applications using locally-sourced raw materials and additives.

In fact, [experts there] are already looking at how nano-technology can bring the next level of durability to coatings," says Hui Choo Tan, performance coatings regional technical manager.

Extending and expanding its capabilities

The recent introduction of advanced equipment will now allow lab technicians to further research contact angles, surface tension and adhesion properties of coatings on a variety of substrates.

Likewise, new automotive paint spray capabilities will help with the development of customers' coatings by allowing Lubrizol's experts to fully test both water-borne and solvent-borne formulations.

Finally, the company says that the extended formulation technologies are set to give it the opportunity to better optimize coating formulas through a deeper understanding of structures and prediction of performance.

Personal care focus

This Singapore based center is home to application development and technical service for the personal care, home care and performance coatings businesses.

In particular, personal care technical support covers the areas of skin care, hair care, bath and shower.

"As we continue to increase our focus on the personal care, home care and performance coatings markets, we are delighted to reinforce our strategic presence in Singapore, one of the world's leading chemical hubs," says Bernard Wong, vice president Asia Pacific, Lubrizol Advanced Materials.

"Here, we will enhance our ability to respond more quickly to market demands and emerging trends in Asia. More importantly, we will also provide the much needed leverage that can help our customers extend their global reach and improve our operational efficiency collectively in this important growth region."

Cosmetics Design, (18/08/2015)