Dive Brief:
- Syngenta AG has broken ground on its $20 million expansion of the Syngenta North America Seedcare Institute in Stanton, MN, a leading seed treatment research facility worldwide. The new structure will be close to five times the size of the current building.
- The expanded facility will feature high-tech laboratories for R&D, treating, plantability, dust-off, and quality assurance, a scale-up treating area, a treating equipment performance area to simulate real-life experiences for customers, state-of-the-art training facility, seed warehouse, and additional spaces for offices and meeting rooms, according to a news release.
- With this expansion comes about half a dozen added jobs at Stanton and potentially more than a dozen. Syngenta expects to complete the project by the end of 2016.
Dive Insight:
"The expanded Seedcare Institute will allow Syngenta to accelerate the development of new seed treatment products and technology and meet the increasing demand by farmers and seed companies to protect high-value seeds and seed traits. In addition, it will augment customer education and stewardship," according to the news release.
This facility is one of 10 Seedcare Institutes that Syngenta operates across the world, with another opening in Singapore soon.
This dedication to R&D is being seen across the industry lately, with Nestle opening a global frozen foods research center in Solon, OH, and Diamond Foods opening an innovation center in Salem, OR, last month. In addition, to respond to changing consumer trends, particularly consumers' renewed focus on health and natural ingredients, companies are stepping up product development with several new releases from Snyder's-Lance, Kellogg, and General Mills over the past few months.