US adhesives maker Fuller opens $20m R&D centre in Pune

American adhesives and sealants maker HB Fuller has opened a new R&D centre at facility near Pune, investing USD 20 million.
Spanning 5,000 sqft, the new R&D centre at Shirwal, 65 km off Pune, marks the completion of their first phase of investment in the country, and strengthens their commitment to customers in the country and the neighbouring areas, the company said in a statement without saying how many engineers the centre can accommodate or will hire.
For the past 130 years, the St. Paul, Minnesota-based HB Fuller has been a global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants and other speciality chemical products.

The NYSE-listed company entered India in 2011 and serves customers in electronics, disposable hygiene, medical, transportation, clean energy, packaging, construction, woodworking, general industries and other consumer businesses.
Its plant at Shirwal has an annual capacity of 24,000 mt and the R&D centre adjoins this facility.
Inaugurating the new centre, Fuller president and chief executive Jim Owens said he is optimistic that the new business office and R&D centre will help accelerate innovation in the region and help drive customer performance.