Proliant Meat Ingredients, a division of the Lauridsen Group, Inc., is proud to announce the opening of its new Research and Development Center in Ankeny, IA. The LGI Advancement Building (LAB) is a 20,600 square foot research facility consisting of laboratories, culinary kitchens, training facilities, two pilot plants and offices. The LAB was designed to foster internal and external collaboration in support of the company’s continued commitment to produce innovative products that address the needs of the customer and consumer.

“The LAB will enable us to collaborate more closely with our Customers in order to develop and deliver the type of solutions they need to stay ahead in today’s evolving global marketplace” notes Xingqiu Lou, director of Proliant Meat Ingredients Technical Department. The LAB will be the home of four LGI Divisions: APC Inc. (APC), Proliant Dairy Ingredients, Proliant Health & Biologicals and Proliant Meat Ingredients.

“The state-of-the-art facilities combined with our highly skilled and experienced team of scientists, product managers and marketers reflect our commitment to developing the type of products that will address the functional, formulation, and nutritional needs of our Customers today and into the future”, said Chia-Wei Chang, president & CEO of Proliant Meat Ingredients. “We are truly excited about the addition of this resource and look forward to expanding our partnership with our Customers,” notes Chang.

The LAB was officially commissioned during a ribbon cutting ceremony held on October 4, 2012. The event was attended by community leaders, employees and LGI management.