Cognis opens liaison office in India.

Cognis has opened a liaison office in Mumbai, India. The office will be responsible for strengthening relationships with existing customers, identifying and initiating new business opportunities and promoting the Cognis brand in local markets. The decision to open the new office reflects the significant growth Cognis has achieved in India in the last few years. It will bring the company even closer to its customers in the region, while improving its understanding of consumer markets there.

Over the last decades, the company has built up a strong network of distributors in India, which covers almost all market segments of the current Cognis product portfolio.

By opening the liaison office in Mumbai, Cognis aims to consolidate its activities and expertise in India, and establish a base for further networking with new and existing business partners. It will represent the interests of all three of Cognis' strategic business units--Care Chemicals, Nutrition & Health, and Functional Products. The company's sales activities in India will continue to be carried out by its local distributors and international key account managers supporting with their expertise from abroad on a regular basis.

"Cognis wants a local presence in one of the world's most important emerging markets," said Goutam Bhattacharya, head of Liaison Office India. "The liaison office will help us to understand the Indian market even better, and anticipate developments there at an earlier stage. The direct accessibility will further enhance our customers' confidence and help us give them the competitive edge they need to succeed--and of course, enable us to grow our own business in India."