Nestle sets up new tech hub in town

Writer:   | Editor: Holly Wang  | From: Xinhua | Updated: 2019-03-27

Swiss-based international food giant Nestle on Monday announced in Geneva, Switzerland, the inauguration of a systems technology hub in Shenzhen.

The technology hub will strengthen collaboration with Chinese partners and suppliers of operations in the area, the company said in a statement.

The Shenzhen System Technology Hub is an extension of the Nestle System Technology Center in Orbe, western Switzerland.

Its location near leading beverage machine and system manufacturers enables the company to rapidly turn new ideas for beverage systems and components into reality, the company said.

Technologists and engineers based in Shenzhen will also scout for new system technologies relevant to Nestle’s global beverage businesses, the company said.

Nestle also inaugurated a new research & development center (R&D) in Beijing, which it said will enable the Swiss food giant to accelerate trend-based innovation in China to meet the fast-changing consumer demand.

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 near the Nestle China headquarters and has state-of-the-art facilities.

The center boasts more than 40 R&D specialists working across multiple product categories with expertise in sensory sciences, food technology and nutrition, who also collaborate with local universities and innovation partners. The site houses the Nestle Food Safety Institute in China.

Nestle said it has been rooted in China for more than 30 years, providing consumers with tastier and healthier choices and creating shared value for shareholders and society. China is now the company’s second-largest market.

The company has 33 production sites, three R&D centers, two innovation centers, a food safety institute, a dairy farming institute and a coffee center in China, employing about 43,000 people.