7 Aug 2009 Glanbia has launched a new 7000 square foot product development center called the Glanbia Collaboration Center in Twin Falls, Idaho.  The new center is a co-development and process optimization facility designed to maximize interaction with customers from ideation to product completion, with space to facilitate new concept development and execution.  The facility also includes pilot plant equipment for developing and testing prototypes of bars, beverages, baked goods and many other applications for Glanbia Nutritionals’ dairy protein and flax ingredients.  The Collaboration Center substantially expands Glanbia’s R&D space from the analytical and applications lab space already present in a nearby building.

“The expansion of our Twin Falls R&D operation with the new Collaboration Center will speed the delivery of product prototypes to our customers, effectively reducing development time by almost 40 percent,” said Eric Bastian, Vice President of R&D.  “We’re finding that our customers want more hands-on involvement with product design and this facility will allow them to do that.  This new site will enable us to work side-by-side with our customers on product development in a much timelier manner.”  Bastian summed up by explaining “The impetus of expanding our Twin Falls operation is to provide our customers with a better, more user-friendly facility that allows for greater product development.”

According to Jerry O’Dea, president of Glanbia Nutritionals, “Glanbia seeks long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with its customers and the new Collaboration Center creates opportunities for us to explore, identify and act on new product concepts in tandem with these customers.”