Mondelēz International Invests in Global Research & Development Hub in India US$15 million India Technical Centre to Open in 2018
MUMBAI, India – Sept. 19, 2016 – Mondelēz International announced an investment of approximately US$15 million to build a global Research, Development & Quality (RDQ) hub in Thane, Maharashtra. This investment is part of the company’s global strategy to develop an RDQ “Network of the Future” at nine advantaged locations around the world over the next two years.
“We’re delighted that one of our nine technical hubs will be based in India,” said Deepak Iyer, Managing Director, Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd. “We’ve always had a strong legacy of research and development, which has contributed to product and process innovation. With a focus on chocolate and beverages, this centre will combine the high-end skills of our local team with global learnings and best practices to develop products and processes for Mondelēz International globally. This is another milestone in our company’s continued commitment to invest, make and innovate in India as we create technical and scientific jobs as well as bring in cutting edge technology to support our global business.”
The India technical centre will employ over 150 scientists, engineers and other specialists who will focus on developing technology platforms for chocolates and beverages, consumer science, packaging and cross-category productivity. The company will start construction of the Thane facility in December, and the site is expected to be fully operational by mid-2018. The new facility will come up at the site of the previous science and technology centre.
“With these advantaged technical centers, we’re focusing our investment in research, equipment and capabilities to drive innovation to support our growth strategy and innovation, margin and quality platforms,” said Rob Hargrove, Executive Vice President, RDQ, Mondelez International. “These hubs will enable improved efficiency, effectiveness and accelerated project delivery, while the increased scale across key markets will provide rapid access to changing consumer needs and trends.”
The global RDQ investment will enable the company to better recruit, retain and develop talent across a range of science and technical disciplines while also creating a stronger presence in both emerging and developed markets. When complete, the redesigned network will consist of a combination of new and existing technical centers that will be more flexible and agile in responding to the company’s growth and innovation needs. In Asia Pacific, the technical centers will be located in Singapore, Suzhou in China and Thane in India.
About Mondelēz International
Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is a global snacking powerhouse, 2015 net revenues of approximately $30 billion. Creating delicious moments of joy in 165 countries, Mondelēz International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits; Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; and Trident gum. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDLZ
About Mondelez India Foods Private Ltd.
Mondelez India Foods Private Ltd. (formerly Cadbury India Ltd.) is a part of Mondelēz International,a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy and powdered beverages. The company in India operates in four categories – chocolate, beverages, biscuits and candy and is chocolate category leader. Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, Cadbury Celebrations, Cadbury Bournville, Cadbury 5 Star, Cadbury Perk, Cadbury Fuse, Cadbury Gems are some of the company’s chocolate brands in India. The company’s beverage portfolio consists of Bournvita and Tang. Cadbury Oreo & Bournvita Biscuit is a part of its biscuit portfolio and Halls and Choclairs Gold make up its candy portfolio.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Mondelez India Foods Private Limited has sales offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and manufacturing facilities at Thane & Induri (Maharashtra), Malanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and Sri City (Andhra Pradesh). For more information, please www.mondelezindiafoods.com