New Delhi: American energy tech major Honeywell is investing $34 million to set up a new technology centre in Gurgaon as part of its effort to expand research capabilities in sectors like refining and petrochemicals. The proposed research centre will primarily house pilot plants for developing and demonstrating refining and petrochemical process technology developed by UOP, a Honeywell subsidiary that is part of the company’s Specialty Materials business division.

“This centre will allow us to conduct development closer to our end customers, while at the same time tapping the recognised engineering talent of India,” said Andreas Kramvis, president and CEO of Honeywell Specialty Materials. Interestingly, the Gurgaon centre is an integral part of Honeywell’s Indo-China strategy.

“It will strengthen our product and process commercialisation capabilities globally, especially in Asia, where it will complement our existing research centre in Shanghai, China,” the release quoted Kramvis as saying.

The new centre will also support the company’s other specialty materials businesses, conducting research and customer-specific engineering work in caprolactam, a key material used in nylon production and nylon resin.

Further, it will also support specialty materials fluorines business, customer application work in areas such as blowing agents used in energy-efficient spray foam insulation.

The centre will be managed by UOP India that already has a process technology engineering center in Gurgaon

Rajeev Gautam, UOP president and CEO, said the company has been a partner to the Indian refining and petrochemicals industry since 1930 and its technology is used in every refinery in the country.