US specialty materials company firm Celanese Corporation has opened a technology centre in the high technology valley of Pangyo, South Korea. The centre will support industries as electrical and electronics, automotive, consumer products, and information technology, as well as the emerging markets of life sciences, robotics and semiconductors. Researchers will support Celanese customers in the region who are accelerating global product innovations such as smartphone technology, tablet and computer application systems, information technology devices, electric vehicles and battery storage systems

“South Korea is at the forefront of many of today’s global technologies, and some of the world’s most significant innovations are coming from this region,” said Mark Rohr, Celanese Chairman/CEO. “For Celanese to best serve our customers – and advance the creation of their products and solutions – we need our research and development team to have a strong presence in South Korea. This centre creates a place for our technologists to continue to work directly with our customers and have meaningful interactions that will help Celanese become their first-choice chemistry solution source.”

It is Celanese’s second R&D facility in the Asia region. In 2010, the Shanghai research centre was established to support the company’s Asia businesses, customer application development, and research and development resources within China.

“Our customers in South Korea are leading innovators in the technologies of tomorrow,” said Mark Oberle, Celanese Senior Vice President, Asia. “Our on-the-ground team, supported by our colleagues in the region, will be able to collaborate with our customers to quickly design, develop and launch differentiated, competitive products and fresh solutions that solve their most critical business needs. We have a well-established history in Korea and look forward to a successful future for both our customers and for Celanese.”