DKSH’s Business Unit Performance Materials, a leading ingredients and specialty chemicals distributor, and China’s Shanghai Institute of Technology (SIT) have signed a cooperation agreement for a joint, dedicated food application innovation center in Shanghai. The facility provides formulation advice, technical support, product development and benchmarking, multiple prototypes and quality checks. The center’s extensive equipment, combined with the in-house application and formulation expertise allows the wide range of DKSH additives and ingredients to be tailored to the customers’ demands of the beverage, dairy, confectionery and nutraceutical industries. By working with Chinese customers on new formulations and prototypes, DKSH enables faster time-to-market for the innovative ingredients developed by DKSH’s key clients. Ben Hopkins, Vice President, Global Food & Beverage Industry, DKSH said: “Today’s food and beverage market in China is extremely dynamic and clearly “premiumizing”, i.e. trying to appeal to consumers by underlining the superior quality and exclusivity of products. Therefore, innovation is key. We are pleased to start the cooperation with SIT to accelerate the technical support for our customers, in line with their fast-evolving needs.”