Perfumer & Flavorist - October 2013

Givaudan Fragrances is investing SGD100 million (~$79 million) in a new fragrance creative center and compounding facility in Singapore.

“It reaffirms our commitment to our cus-
tomers here,” says Gilles Andrier, Givaudan’s
CEO. “When the creative center opens in
2014, it will set a new industry benchmark
for the region. Future fragrance artisans
will be nurtured here. Creation and sensory
research will be conducted and combined
with consumer insights and leading creativ-
ity to drive success in the marketplace for
our clients.”
The development will include a special-
ized large-batch production unit for fragrance
compounding, serving customers across
Southeast Asia and beyond. Featuring a high
degree of automation, the company says this
facility will be designed to meet the highest
environmental, health and safety standards,
and be built to meet the Singapore gold stan-
dard for an environmental certification, called Greenmark, which
is consistent with Givaudan’s corporate sustainability targets.

“This will be the most sophisticated and modern fragrance
compounding and creative center in APAC [Asia Pacific],” says
Michael Carlos, president of Givaudan’s fragrance division. “ We
will create and manufacture fragrance compounds for personal
and home care products such as shower and hair care products,
deodorants, laundry detergents and dishwashing liquid, and
fabric conditioners.”
The center’s sensory research team, he adds, will support
fragrance creation via patented technologies such as fragrance
capsules and anti-malodor ingredients for functional fragrances
for the personal and home care categories. It will also house
analytical facilities and capabilities for sensory testing with con-
sumer panelists.

Givaudan expects to open the creative center and perfumery school toward the end of 2014, followed by the new fragrance compounding facility in early 2015. Exact dates will not be known until the building phase of the project.

The new facility will join Givaudan fragrance creative centers in Mumbai, Shanghai and Yokohama, Japan, as well as fragrance compounding sites in Shanghai, Bangalore and Jakarta. The Singapore site will include facilities that will build on Givaudan’s capabilities in fragrance technologies and sensory and consumer understanding.

The new creative center will employ at least 100 people, and will host an Asia Pacific branch of the “Singapore was chosen because it is an excellent environment to train new talent, and is one of Asia Pacific’s most important hubs for other creative industries such as art and fashion,” says Carlos.

He adds, “Our objective in choosing Singapore is to align this initiative very closely with the goals and activities of our clients in the region. Singapore is affluent, influential and logistically well connected. It has an excellent infrastructure, a highly skilled workforce and, very importantly, supportive authorities. It provides a central location that is perfect for us to serve both our local and global clients in Asia Pacific, and we hope to attract and retain some of the many talented people in Singapore to work for Givaudan.”