Nestlé has inaugurated a new Research & Development centre (R&D) in Beijing and a System Technology hub in Shenzhen. The new R&D centre will enable Nestlé to accelerate trend-based innovation in China to meet fast-changing consumer demand. The systems hub will strengthen collaboration with Chinese partners and suppliers in the area of systems.

Nestlé R&D in Beijing focuses on creating new food and beverage products primarily for Chinese consumers but also for those elsewhere in Asia. In close proximity to the Nestlé China Headquarters, it has state-of-the-art facilities that include rapid prototyping and packaging labs, as well as a consumer insight area. The center features over 40 R&D specialists working across multiple product categories, with expertise in sensory sciences, food technology and nutrition. They also collaborate with local universities and innovation partners. The site also houses the Nestlé Food Safety Institute in China.

Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider says: “China is one of the fastest-changing food and beverage markets in the world, and a significant growth driver for Nestlé. We are strengthening our local R&D capabilities so that our teams can work faster and more efficiently to turn great ideas into the latest must-have products for consumers in China.”

The Shenzhen System Technology Hub is an extension of the Nestlé System Technology Centre in Orbe, Switzerland. The location near leading beverage machine and system manufacturers enables Nestlé to rapidly turn new ideas for beverage systems and components into reality. Technologists and engineers based in Shenzhen will also scout new system technologies relevant for Nestlé’s global beverage businesses.

Nestlé CTO Stefan Palzer says: “We are constantly looking for opportunities to increase the speed of our trend-based innovation. The proximity of the R&D team to the Nestlé China Headquarters and of the System Technology Hub to our suppliers and manufacturers will enable a strong collaboration that will help Nestlé push the boundaries by bringing breakthrough innovations to the market faster.”

China is now the second biggest market for Nestlé. The company has 33 production sites, three R&D and two innovation centres, a food safety institute, a dairy farming institute and one coffee centre. Nestlé employs about 43,000 people in China.