US – Flavour and fragrance company Firmenich has opened a new innovation centre in the United States to promote rapid end-to-end product development and greater collaboration with customers on food, beverage, and nutrition innovation.
According to a statement from the flavour and fragrance company, the new centre called the West Coast Innovation Center is located in Anaheim, California, the home of its Durarome production site and west coast commercial business.
“Our California facilities have been located in Anaheim since 1926 and this new site is an exciting step on our journey,” said Chris Perkins, SVP Taste & Beyond North America, Firmenich.
According to Perkins, Firmenich’s West Coast Innovation Center is designed as a rapid collaboration space to work more closely with customers across food, beverage and nutrition, to cut the time from concept to creation and quickly pilot in the market.
“This new facility will take our capabilities to the next level as our customers’ trusted innovation partner,” Perkins added.
Following the completion of the innovation center, the West Coast Commercial Center is now being redied for the next phase of site enhancements.
This phase will see the expansion of Firmenich’s current pilot plant capabilities, in order to help prepare customers for scaled-up production.
“West Coast Innovation Center is designed as a rapid collaboration space to work more closely with customers across food, beverage and nutrition, to cut the time from concept to creation and quickly pilot in the market.”
Chris Perkins, SVP Taste & Beyond North America, Firmenich
Meanwhile, an expanded sample lab will be completed to support customers quickly and efficiently, and software and technology solutions will help to “digitally optimise” the customer experience.
Last year, Firmenich opened a new pilot plant and laboratory at its production site at La Plaine, Geneva.
CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard 2020
Earlier, Firmenich announced that it had been ranked on the CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard 2020.
The leaderboard highlights the top 7 percent of companies that engage with their global supply chains on climate reporting and managing carbon emissions via CDP.
This is Firmenich’s fourth recognition from the gold standard in corporate environmental reporting this year, adding to the group’s third consecutive CDP Triple “A” score in climate, water and forest management.
The company which is the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company also recently became the first company in the world to successfully upgrade its global EDGE Certification for gender equality in the workplace to the next level: “Move” status.
Firmenich’s ever more inclusive culture
Recognizing the Group’s ever more inclusive culture, the leading business certification standard for gender equality awarded Firmenich Move status for its progress in expanding diverse representation at all levels and a strong sense of belonging among its diverse workforce.
Firmenich in a statement said that it continues to lead in workplace equality, having been the 7th company in the world and the first in its industry to achieve global certification in 2018 at Assess level.
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