Mondelēz invests $5m to expand Wroclaw technical centre

Mondelēz International has invested $5 million to expand its global technical centre in Wroclaw, Poland, a year and a half after the centre was opened.

Mondelēz initially invested $17 million to open the facility, and the additional investment will expand the site’s research and development activities beyond chocolate and bakery to support gum and candy innovation.

This expansion represents part of Mondelēz International’s $65 million R&D investment strategy, which saw the company open new technical centres in India and Singapore earlier this year.

The 12,500 square metre site is equipped with a large pilot plant for chocolate and biscuits and a brand new dedicated pilot plant for gum and candy, as well as analytical and sensory labs.

Mondelēz says that the expanded site will serve as the R&D hub for a range of the company’s global and local brands, including Oreo, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Trident, and more.

Rob Hargrove, executive vice-president research, development & quality said: “Our mission at Mondelēz International is simple – to offer consumers the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way and our global technical centre network is crucial to support this.

“Poland is one of our most important markets in central Europe, with an impressive manufacturing network, and Wroclaw is a modern city that’s open to investments.

“Embedding one of our largest technical centres here clearly signals the importance of Poland and Europe within our global R&D network.

“It is also home to leading technical universities and top-notch specialists. Now, with the exciting extension to gum and candy, we are creating approximately 50 new jobs here”.

Kevin Powell, vice-president RDQ Biscuits and Gum & Candy added: “The Wroclaw Technical Center is unique not only for its diverse and talented scientists and engineers but also for its fluency across chocolate, biscuits and gum and candy technologies.

“With this new investment, we will be able to surprise and delight our consumers and shoppers with exciting new combinations of technologies, formats, fillings and much more.”