Croda opens two new innovation centers

27-Oct-2008 - Last updated on 30-Oct-2008 at 14:02 GMT

Croda has opened two new innovation centers in Delaware to support the development of the next generation of cosmetic ingredients.

At its Atlas Point manufacturing site at New Castle, Delaware, the company has built research and development laboratories to create and test new ingredients.

Croda has spent $20m since 2006 transforming the site and furnishing it with the equipment necessary to push the boundaries of innovation.

Lab dedicated to skin care

The new facilities include a commercial center that will house a skin care innovation laboratory, built to support the creation of new product ideas for the category. Within personal care, the facility will complement Croda’s hair care lab which is found at its Edison site in New Jersey.

Within the commercial center will also be office space to support Croda’s industrial sales team.

Alongside the new center will be the William C. Griffin Innovation Center which was named after the 94 year-old chemist who worked for many years at the Atlas Point site and is best known for inventing the HLB System, a tool designed to streamline the formulation of emulsions.

Griffin was present with family and friends at the ribbon cutting ceremony last week.

Research and development labs

The center will also include industrial research and development laboratories that will support innovation in the markets for crop care, lubricants, oilfield, coatings and polymer additives.

“The investments will improve efficiency, safety and innovation as these new research spaces house some of the most state of the art equipment in our organization,” said Kevin Gallagher, president of Croda.

Gallagher, who is also responsible for Croda’s US operations, has always championed the importance of innovation and new product development throughout his career at the company.

Innovation ensures competitiveness

“Investments, such as these, in the Atlas Point manufacturing site will allow Croda to be more competitive in the marketplace and further support our standing as a world class supplier of quality ingredients,” said Gallagher, president of Croda.

The company will continue to invest in the Atlas Point site over the next ten years to further develop its capacities.

History of Atlas site

The site has a long history in chemistry having begun as a manufacturing plant for the explosives company Atlas Powder in 1912. The site then diversified into food and cosmetics when Atlas Powder looked into the potential of a by-product of one of their manufacturing processes.

Croda came into possession of the site in 2006 when the company acquired the Uniqema division of ICI. At that time it was used to develop a range of oleochemical products.