Umicore signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) authorities on May 25 for the construction of a technology development center for automotive catalysts in Suzhou. The center will be built close to Umicore’s current automotive catalyst production facility in Suzhou. The technology development center marks a significant step in Umicore’s service offering for its Chinese customers. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Kris Peeters, Minister President of Flanders and officials from the Suzhou Industrial Park and the city of Suzhou. The technology development center is due to be commissioned by mid 2012. The facility will mainly serve the system development and emission testing needs of the Chinese market and its customer base for a wide range of light duty vehicle drivetrains, including gasoline and diesel engines as well as alternative drivetrains such as hybrid electric vehicles.

Bill Staron, Umicore’s Executive Vice-President for Automotive Catalysts commented: “The new investment represents a significant milestone in the development of Umicore’s automotive catalyst business in China, complementing our local production. The Chinese car market is growing rapidly and this, coupled with the increasing stringent emission legislation, justified the investment in a dedicated applied technology center. This fits with our regional approach, whereby regions with specific legislation requirements supported by a sizable market have dedicated local production and technology development center facilities. Such facilities are already in place in Europe, North America, South America, Japan and Korea.” Umicore is a leading supplier of automotive catalysts in China and globally. Umicore first established an automotive catalyst production operation in China in 2005 and has since continued to increase the capacity and capabilities of the plant, the most recent expansion having been commissioned in 2008. Earlier this year an investment in further capacity expansion and capability enhancement was announced, which will be operational by mid 2010. Umicore serves the Chinese market with a broad spectrum of catalyst technologies for both light duty and heavy duty vehicles.