Shiseido To construct Global Innovation Center

JAPAN: Shiseido will establish a global innovation center in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai 21 District.

The new research center is scheduled to start operating by the end of 2018, according to the firm, which also plans to increase R&D via several initiatives outlined in its “Vision 2020” plan.

In the “Vision 2020” plan, Shiseido aims to become “a company that responds to the expectations of active consumers” and will simultaneously pursue sales growth and cost optimization through various management reforms including increased investment primarily in marketing and R&D. The company plans to establish and expand a more regionally oriented research framework to strengthen product development and marketing capabilities by country and region at the research centers that currently exist in Japan, China, Thailand, France and the United States.

In addition, Shiseido said it plans to increase the number of researchers it employs worldwide from the current 1,000 to 1,500 by 2020, and increase the ratio of R&D expenses to net sales to 2.5% in 2020 from the current 1.8%.