Megafarma, an Azelis company, is set to open its first full-service innovation center in Mexico City, featuring five industry-specific application labs for Food, Pharma, Plastics, Personal Care and CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers).

The new center further strengthens Azelis’ position in the Americas, says the company. 

It supports its strategy to be a leader in sales, technology and distribution of specialty ingredients and chemicals in the region.

The 10,000 square-foot facility is located in the northern outskirts of Mexico City, and it will be managed by Claudia Barrera, laboratory director. 

The application labs will provide custom formulations, product development, regulatory compliance, problem-solving and sales support to these dynamic and constantly evolving market segments. 

The center will also host virtual and live customer seminars, interactive formulation workshops and hands-on technical training for the company’s sales teams. 

Turning point
“The opening of this innovation center marks a turning point for Azelis in Mexico,” says Frank Bergonzi, CEO and president, Azelis Americas. 

“Azelis can now provide an unsurpassed level of service, technology, and innovative solutions to our customers in the region. Our new state of the art laboratories will deliver on our mission of ‘Innovation through formulation.’”

According to Eduardo Salinas, managing director, Azelis Latin America, the company’s commitment to establishing “a leading position in specialties distribution in Mexico is clear” with the opening of this innovation center. 

“We will be laser-focused in supporting our customers and principals with the technical capabilities of Megafarma. I am confident our customers will take advantage of the benefits of our innovation center from day one of its operations,” he notes. 

Last week, Azelis diversified its presence in South Korea through the acquisition of food distributor MH. 

CP Kelco recently extended its distribution relationship with Azelis in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Additionally, Azelis increased the scope of its distribution agreement with Roquette for its food product range in China.