Germany-based Evonik, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has annouced the opening of its new coating additives laboratory at Tuzla (Istanbul) in Turkey.

The state-of-the-art laboratory, which also includes a customer service center, will support customers with the development of innovative surface coatings in Turkey and throughout the Middle East, said a statement rom the company.

According to Evonik, the application technology laboratory features top-of-the-line equipment for processing customer requests for a wide range of coatings and printing ink applications.

This allows the lab staff to effectively formulate, apply, and test a variety of coatings and printing inks in water-based, solvent-based, or radiation-curing formats.

The modern laboratory equipment also includes a spray booth and a climatic chamber, it stated.

Gaetano Blanda, the head of the Coating Additives business line, said the new laboratory strengthens the  presence of Evonik in the region.

"It enhances our market proximity and enables us to provide our customers with technical service and product solutions for the development of new formulations even faster," noted Blanda.

The German group said the new laboratory and the adjacent customer service centre have created two new jobs and are staffed by five employees total.

From its Tuzla site east of Istanbul, Evonik Ticaret will manage the distribution for the Turkish domestic market and exports to adjacent growth markets with a staff of fifty employees, it added.- TradeArabia News Service