The centre will support new products and technologies for the company's global brands in chocolates and beverages. Focussed on consumer science, packaging and productivity, the centre is part of the company's strategy to invest US$65 million in developing a global network of state-of-the-art technical hubs. The Thane hub is the company’s 10th technical centre around the world.
Offering details on the centre, Maurizio Brusadelli, EVP and president, AMEA (Asia, Middle East and Africa), observed, “Our mission at Mondelez International is simple to offer consumers the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. And our global technical centre network is crucial to support this.”
He added, “Our AMEA region hosts three global technical centres – the other two being in China and Singapore – demonstrating that our dynamic markets are at the heart of the company's growth strategy. Our investment in the Thane technical centre further emphasises the importance of India to our global business.”
Brusadelli stated, “We will also keep investing in manufacturing and marketing apart from research and development.” He informed that the focus of the R&D centre would be on chocolate and beverages, the other centre for chocolate was in the UK. “India has highest market share for our business globally and it is highest growth market,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Rob Hargove, EVP, research, development and quality, stated, “With these technical centres, we're focussing our investment in research, equipment and capabilities, driving innovation to accelerate our growth.”
Hargove said, “Our RDQ hubs will improve speed, efficiency and effectiveness, while increased scale will enable us to address evolving consumer needs more quickly. We are delighted that one of our global technical centres is based in India, which has one of the best technical and scientific capabilities in the world.”
Giving insight into the importance of India as a market, he revealed, “India has some best science and technology for food and beverage business and good consumer base, hence we are investing here.” He stated that the 11th technical centre would be coming up in Mexico.
He stated, “India is at top for our business and we earlier had invested US$200 million in south India for chocolate manufacturing facility. Consumption of chocolate is low in India compared to countries like Germany,” adding, “Global snacking market is worth US$1.2 trillion and there is opportunity in India for offerings in other snacking segments as well. India is a US$100 million business for us and we will understand consumer needs and then launch new products.”
Stressing on innovation, Deepak Iyer, MD, Mondelez India Foods Pvt. Ltd, declared, “As we accelerate consumer-centric growth across both our global and local heritage brands, innovation plays a crucial role.”
According to him, the Thane centre will collaborate on innovations with multiple countries within the company network. “We are proud that some of the most unique and cutting edge innovations will be created right here at our Thane technical centre. This investment is just another example of the importance of India to Mondelez International - as we continue to make, sell and innovate in this market for over 70 years.”
