LEVALLOIS, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
Plastic Omnium (Paris:POM) is sharpening and diversifying its policy for innovation by deploying groundbreaking solutions and new business models to carry its growth in the mobility of the future.
The Group just invested, as co-sponsor, as part of the €240 million fundraising effort of Aster, a venture capital company specializing in the digital transformation and new industrial models. With this fundraising, Aster will assist the growth of innovative companies working the areas of the energy transition and the mobilities of the future, mainly in Europe and the United States.
This investment by Plastic Omnium follows in the wake of the investment in the company Ξ-POCellTech, created with the Israeli group Elbit Systems, in the area of fuel cells.
Plastic Omnium will also begin construction of Δ-Deltatech, a new advanced center for innovation and research in Brussels, dedicated to new forms of energy such as hydrogen. This center will welcome, starting in 2019, more than 200 engineers.
This open innovation approach complements the strategy of Plastic Omnium that, each year, invests 6% of its revenue in Research, Innovation & Development, representing approximately €500 million for the year 2017. The Group employs 3,500 engineers and holds 4,000 patents. Coordination between these measures and the 23 R&D centers of Plastic Omnium – including the Σ-Sigmatech international centers created in 2003 for exterior bodywork parts, α-AlphaTech in 2014 for fueled systems and I-Itech in 2015 for IT systems – is provided by the Group's Scientific Director, a position created in September 2016.
Plastic Omnium thus confirms its commitment to contribute to the accelerated changes in automobile technology and mobility, on which the Group hopes to strengthen its positions as a world leader through the technological changes and the energies of the future.
Plastic Omnium is the world leader in automotive exterior components and modules, automotive fuel systems, and waste container solutions for local authorities and companies. The Group and its joint ventures have 32,000 employees across 124 plants, 23 R&D centers and 31 countries worldwide, serving 74 automotive brands. Plastic Omnium is listed on Euronext Paris, compartment A. It is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD) and is part of the SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 indices (ISIN code: FR0000124570).
