German pharmaceuticals, chemicals and life sciences group Merck has opened a new application laboratory for its Performance Materials business sector in Shanghai, China. The facility will be an integral part of the company’s Technology Application Network China (TANC) and at the same time part of its global Technology Application Network (TAN), which provides technical consultation and access to application technology laboratories.

Located at the Jinqiao site in Shanghai’s Pudong district, Merck said the new lab underscores its leading position in pigments and functional materials and marks the continuation of a 20- year commitment of supplying materials and application technology services to China and Southeast Asia. This new facility will be its first application laboratory in China to deliver comprehensive, customized services for its quality products and to seek and foster creative collaboration with customers for new applications and formulations, it added.

Initially focused on print applications, Merck’s TANC network has undergone three expansions in recent years, adding competence in application fields ranging from plastics, coating and cosmetic applications to dispersion paints and powder coating technologies, flanked by quality control and cosmetic testing. China is one of the fastest-growing markets for its pigments and cosmetics businesses, the company said.

The TANC’s core tasks are to evaluate R&D materials according to customer specification, develop demonstration tools and steer their production, scientifically support products with lectures and publications, provide training for employees and customers and perform supportive work for quality control and production.

Thanks to the expansion in Shanghai, Merck said it can now meet the growing number of customer requests for close collaboration and technical consultation on its entire product portfolio of pigments and functional materials. The lab will also focus on the integration of its products in new technologies, such as pigments in high-temperature ceramics, RGB printing and waterborne coatings or the application of polysilazanes.