08-11-2012

Shell to expand technology footprint in Asia

Today, Shell laid the foundation stone for a brand new technology facility in Bengaluru, India, which marks the next step in the company’s expansion into developing technology in Asia.  The bespoke research and technology site will house up to 1,500 technology specialists who will work on some of Shell’s key projects globally.

Honourable Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries of Government of Karnataka, Shri Murugesh Nirani and Dr Matthias Bichsel, Director, Projects & Technology, Royal Dutch Shell, unveiled the foundation stone of the facility in the presence of the Dutch Ambassador to India His Excellency Mr. Alphonsus Stoelinga, Dr Yasmine Hilton, Chairman Shell Companies in India, Mr Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner in Bengaluru and Mr. S V Ranganath, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka amongst other senior dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Matthias Bichsel, , said, “This world-class technology hub, encompassing much of Shell's innovative scientific and engineering capability, will be the largest centre of its kind in this part of the world and fits with our strategy of building a company which is led by technology. We see a clear need to align our technology capabilities with our future growth markets. Both India and China, where we recently strengthened our technology footprint, are exciting prospects for us, as well as Asia more broadly.”

Shell currently employs around 900 research and development staff in two separate facilities. This new development, spread over 40 acres at Devanhalli, Bengaluru, will expand that number to around 1,500 and provide new opportunities for collaboration across discipline and departmental boundaries, promoting innovative thinking. It will become one of Shell’s three global technology hubs, which will be supported by other research centres across the organisation’s portfolio. 

The teams in Bengaluru currently support Shell's pioneering floating, liquefied natural gas facility (FLNG), and also giant projects such as Majnoon in Iraq, Sakhalin in Russia, Abadi in Indonesia, and Arrow in Australia.  And aligning with Shell’s growth strategy for integrated gas, a new 20-strong LNG team has also been established.

“Shell has been a technology pioneer for more than a century, with a history of several ‘firsts’ in India since 1928,” said Dr Yasmine Hilton, Chairman, Shell Companies in India. “This technology centre is a first for Shell, not just in India but in Asia and Oceania.  Shell’s business model in India has proved to be very robust: it is more than just selling products to India, it's about engaging the hearts and minds of Indian people. Shell’s decision to strengthen our scale of R&D in India has been greatly influenced by the quality of talent and work that we have experienced here. The innovation developed at new technology centre in Bengaluru will be vital to Shell’s success and our endeavours to meet the energy challenges in the coming years.”

The new site for Shell Technology Centre, operational in around the middle of the decade, will encompass the full breadth of Shell's scientific and engineering capability by providing a focus for fundamental and applied research to sit alongside subsurface and facility engineering.  Its services will span upstream exploration and production activities; technology for downstream refinery and chemical operations and products; computational science and fundamental research.