Philips eyes major role for China in R&D

Dutch electronics giant Philips NV plans to expand its research and development efforts to China, with Shanghai playing a major role in the multinational's global R&D network, especially in the innovation of its car air purifier products.

With the severe smog in Chinese major cities recently, Philips saw phenomenal growth in the sales of its car air purifiers, with its products running out of stock several times. In the past five years, the company witnessed an annual sales growth of about 50 percent for its air purifier products in China.

Now Chinese engineers are playing key roles in the creation of its air purifier products, and the company plans to develop the products where the markets are.