Belgium-based Desmet’s first R&D facility outside Europe is in Shah Alam
24 May 2023
Belgium-based global solutions provider, Desmet, has established a Desmet Oils and Derivatives Innovation Centre Asia in Malaysia, as part of its broader oils and fats research and development (R&D) expansion into the Asian market.
Desmet is a global provider of custom-engineered plants and equipment for the food, feed and biofuels industries.
The innovation centre is Desmet’s first R&D facility for oils and fats outside Europe and is set to become a platform for research exchange between Desmet’s global R&D teams.
Desmet Malaysia managing director Khoo Kiak Kern said about €500,000 (€1=RM4.94) has been spent to develop the first phase of the R&D facility.
“By having a centre here, our customers can get quicker results and fresh samples. With all these factors, our management decided that we should put up the centre to serve our customers better,” he told Bernama after the official launch of the R&D facility here today.
The R&D centre, located next to the Desmet Malaysia Sdn Bhd office, will be equipped with pilot scale plants of Desmet’s patented technologies — Mobulizer and Statolizer — as well as other crystallisers of different designs and various lab and pilot filtration units.
The centre will start operating in June 2023, and the first phase is focused on fat modification.
Further development of Desmet Oils and Derivatives Innovation Centre Asia will be done in three phases.
Phase two focuses on oil refining and phase three on oleochemical processing to cover the whole upstream and downstream processing of oils and fats.
Khoo said the new facility would allow the company to better serve the Asian oil processing industry, where its customers could test their products as well as customise the company’s technologies to meet their specific needs.
It will also pave the way for collaborative R&D through partnership projects with universities and research institutes, allowing better access to industrial research.
“Asia is an important region for Desmet and establishing an R&D facility here is a logical and necessary step, as this is the region where the world’s top two palm oilproducing countries are located.
“We also gain better access to customers with business in other major oils such as palm kernel oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil and cocoa butter,” Khoo said.
He said the Asian market contributed between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of revenue annually and the figure is likely to grow.
“The revenue contribution from Asia to the group would likely gain momentum as palm oil is getting more prominence in the global market.
“Palm oil is getting more important globally, not only to be used for food but also biofuels. With that, the development of technology is required to match up,” he said.
Khoo added that the innovation centre would enable the creation and use of the required new technology and at the same time, work closely with customers.
Source: Bernama
