Renovation of the Research, Development & Engineering (RD&E) Center in Campinas, São Paulo doubles the size of the facility to 1,300 square meters.
The expansion to the center which opened in December 2009 began in September 2012 and took 10 months to complete.
Food and beverage application laboratories occupy 20% of the Campinas Research Center.
Food and beverage capabilities
Among the specific food and beverage capabilities, the center includes space for conveyor lubricant testing, bottle wash simulation, a customizable Clean in Place system and additional test areas representing commonly found surfaces in the food and beverage industry.
One of 19 Ecolab research centers around the world, the Campinas facility has several laboratories designed to meet the technological demands of the market.
These include facilities to research industrial water applications for the pulp and paper, mining, sugar and brewing industries, and for the development of cleaning and sanitizing, and food and beverage processing solutions.
Brazilian opportunity
Ecolab said over the past five years, their business in Brazil has experienced strong growth and the country has a growing economy that presents many opportunities for the company.
"Having RD&E teams in our major geographic markets helps ensure close interactions with our customers and value chain partners," said Dr Larry Berger, Ecolab executive vice president and chief technology officer.
"Our goal is to develop industry-leading solutions to make the world cleaner, safer and healthier, to protect people and vital resources, and by doing this, help our customers optimize their operations."
Ecolab said its merger with Nalco, the acquisition of Champion Technologies and two local companies have increased their footprint in Brazil, which now includes two manufacturing facilities.
Jim White, Ecolab senior vice president and president, Latin America region, said technologies to come out of the centers include 3D TRASAR automation technology for cooling water, DryExx dry lubricant for bottlers, PARETO mixing technology for the paper industry and the innovative enzyme-based floor cleaner Wash 'n Walk.