Incotec, part of Croda International Plc, proudly announces its 50^th Anniversary of business along with the grand opening of a completely modernised and automated seed enhancement operation in Salinas, California. 

The facilities feature a new R&D lab and offices, new seed storage warehouse, new production equipment and employee facilities that are the result of months of hard work at Incotec’s North American production facility. In 2016, a US$4 million investment was announced to concentrate and strengthen Incotec’s seed enhancement operations and R&D efforts in Salinas, California, the heart of the vegetable business. This week the renewed facility and lab will officially be opened for customers, employees and guests.

Needs of customers

In North America, the vast majority of vegetables are grown in California. Being close to the market is important for delivery time and interaction with growers. Incotec's operations are in the heartland of vegetable production. Over the past months, the Salinas location has been completely modernised and automated and is now well equipped to deliver innovation to meet the needs of its customers. Besides a gain in efficiency, simplified logistics and quality improvements are the most obvious benefits. These site enhancements also strengthen R&D efforts in vegetable, field and ornamental crops.

Investing in North America

North America is not only an important market for vegetables, it is also the largest market for field crops, where Incotec is known as the high quality seed enhancement provider. Incotec is further investing in the North American market and in August they will open a new Innovation Centre in Des Moines, Iowa, with emphasis on sales and R&D in field crops. Des Moines is located in the core of the North American field crop market and close to major customer locations for corn, soybeans, wheat, canola, rice and other field crops.