GENEVA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Swiss-based international food giant Nestle on Monday announced the inauguration of a new Research & Development Center (R&D) in Beijing and a System Technology hub in Shenzhen in southeastern China.
The new R&D center will enable Nestle to accelerate trend-based innovation in China to meet fast-changing consumer demand, the company said in a statement here.
The technology hub will strengthen collaboration with Chinese partners and suppliers of operations in the area.
Nestle CEO Mark Schneider was quoted as saying in Beijing, "China is one of the fastest-changing food and beverage markets in the world, and a significant growth driver for Nestle."
He said the company is strengthening its local R&D capabilities so that its teams can work faster and more efficiently to turn ideas into "the latest must-have products" for consumers in China.
Nestle said its R&D in Beijing focuses on creating new food and beverage products primarily for Chinese consumers but also for those elsewhere in Asia.
The facility is close to the Nestle China headquarters with state-of-the-art facilities. And the center features more than 40 R&D specialists working across multiple product categories, with expertise in sensory sciences, food technology, and nutrition.
They also collaborate with local universities and innovation partners. The site also houses the Nestle Food Safety Institute in China.
The Shenzhen System Technology Hub in southeastern China is an extension of the Nestle System Technology Centre in Orbe, western Switzerland.
It is near leading beverage machine and system manufacturers, enabling the company to rapidly turn new ideas for beverage systems and components into reality.
Technologists and engineers based in Shenzhen will also scout new system technologies relevant for Nestle's global beverage businesses, the company said.
Nestle said it had been rooted in China for more than 30 years, providing consumers with tastier and healthier choices and creating shared value for shareholders and society and China is now the company's second-biggest market.
The company has 33 production sites, three R&D and two innovation centers, a food safety institute, a dairy farming institute, and one coffee center and it employs about 43,000 people in China.
