Evonik Launches Asia Hub For Sports Material Innovation
Evonik has inaugurated the “Evonik Asia PAthletic Center,” a dedicated research and innovation hub focused on advancing polyamide solutions for the sports and consumer goods industries.
The new facility will serve as a one-stop platform for long-chain polyamides, offering capabilities from material evaluation to application validation. With a strong focus on polyether block amides (PEBAs), the center aims to accelerate product development cycles and commercialization through closer collaboration with OEMs, manufacturers and brand partners.
“Asia is a key engine for innovation and manufacturing in the global sports and consumer goods industry,” said Jinhong Zhang, Vice President and General Manager of Evonik’s High Performance Polymers business line in Asia-Pacific. “With this center, we are strengthening our local footprint and enabling faster collaboration from concept to production, while advancing performance, sustainability and manufacturing efficiency.”
The center was officially inaugurated during the CHINAPLAS international exhibition.
Equipped with advanced testing and evaluation capabilities, the facility supports both rigid materials such as PA12 and soft materials like PA12 elastomers. It adheres to global standards including ISO and ASTM, as well as brand-specific requirements. In addition, the center features pilot-scale plastics processing, enabling 3D-printed samples, injection-moulded test specimens and film development for early-stage validation.
“We will translate our global expertise in long-chain polyamides into application-ready solutions for sports products,” said Dirk Heinrich, Global Head of Applied Technology & Technical Service. “By co-developing formulations and leveraging standardized testing, we aim to help customers move more efficiently from design verification to large-scale production.”
Industry partners have also welcomed the move. Forrest Gan of Deckers International highlighted the strong performance of Evonik’s PEBA materials in running footwear and expressed confidence that the new center will deepen collaboration and accelerate innovation.
Long-chain polyamides such as PEBAs are widely used in athletic footwear, apparel, sports equipment and protective gear, offering benefits such as lightweighting, durability, comfort and enhanced performance.
With the launch of the Asia PAthletic Center, Evonik reinforces its commitment to supporting innovation in high-performance materials and advancing manufacturing capabilities across the region.
