Owens Corning's China Composites Center started its operations in Shanghai on Sept 4.

The company is a leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems.

The center it's the sixth of its kind after the establishment of similar centers in the United States, France, Japan, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The 6,000-sq m center — different from the one in Japan, which targets only the domestic market — will serve other Asian markets as well as the Chinese market, the China Composites Center Leader Frederic Rossi said.

The center, which has state-of-the-art R&D facilities, will provide a full array of technical capabilities to enable scientists and engineers to offer advanced composite material expertise and solutions for the China market, Rossi said.

With its work-class capabilities connected to Owens Corning innovation sites in the US, France and the Netherlands, the center will be the hub for innovation in glass reinforcements and composite applications in China, he said.

"This is the strategy Owens Corning has chosen to expand its business in China," said Paul Wei, managing director of China Glass Reinforcements, Owens Corning Composite Solutions Business.

China has a huge market for composite materials with great potential in performance material solutions. It accounts for 24 percent of the global glass fiber market, Wei said.

The center will partner with local universities and institutes specializing in material science and chemistry, among other areas. Composites training for the industry will be conducted at the center, too, said Rossi.