DuPont Moves Ahead with Russia, China, India Projects
Saying
it is "going where the growth is," DuPont yesterday announced the
opening of a technical center in the city of Dzerzhinsk, near Moscow,
to support Russian manufacturers of coatings, plastic, and paper who
use the company's titanium dioxide. Other announcements by the company
concerned new activities in India and China.
"Russia is one of the fastest growing markets for TiO2 in the world
because of the rapid expansion of industries producing consumer goods,"
said Rick Olson, vice president and general manager, DuPont Titanium
Technologies. "Increased demand for TiO2 usually signals the emergence
of more affluent consumers who are interested in high-quality home
improvement products that incorporate TiO2. This facility demonstrates
our strategy of going where the growth is and locating near our
customers."
DuPont earlier announced plans to build a $1 billion TiO2 plant at
Dongying, China -- its largest single investment outside the United
States. And yesterday it said its first plant biotechnology research
center outside the United States will be at the DuPont Knowledge Center
in Hyderabad, India. DuPont's existing major plant biotech research
centers are in Delaware, Iowa, and California. "This research facility
reinforces the importance of India as a global center of scientific
excellence," said DuPont India President/CEO Balvinder Kalsi. "The
center will allow us to access tremendous scientific talent in this
region in support of DuPont's efforts to create products that address
the food, feed, fuel, and materials challenges of the 21st Century."