The Apical Innovation Centre (AIC) works with customers and partners to improve the performance of edible oils and fats in real applications.
Our team collaborates with customers to refine products, adapt them to specific use cases, and assess performance at a pilot scale in facilities that reflect real production conditions. This hands-on work supports the move from trials to larger-scale production, helping our customers solve real-world problems through custom-designed edible oils and fats.
AIC’s facilities are designed to support practical collaboration across formulation refinement, application testing, and production readiness. Each space reflects how functional and specialty fats are used in real manufacturing environments.
At the R&D Lab, our team develops the initial formulations of oils and fats, paying close attention to how they perform in real applications. Each formulation is created with a clear objective, whether to improve structure, stability, or overall functionality, before moving into the next stage of application testing.
Our work in the lab typically includes:
During this stage, our team works closely with customers to develop and refine prototypes. Each formulation goes through multiple rounds of testing and adjustment, allowing us to optimize performance and address potential challenges early. This careful approach ensures that only well-prepared formulations move on to the Application Lab for real-food evaluation.
The Application Lab turns formulations into finished food products that customers can see, taste, and use in real production settings. While the R&D team develops fats and oils, the Application Lab applies them in actual food. The focus is on making sure each formulation works in practice, not just in theory.
Work in the Application Lab goes beyond testing. The team develops application recipes and adjusts processing steps as needed. They observe how each formulation performs during production and identify issues early. This helps ensure the product is suitable for its intended use.
Trials are carried out under normal production conditions, including:
During these trials, the team assesses taste, texture, stability, and overall performance. Customers can see how the product behaves in its final form and evaluate whether it fits their needs.
The Application Lab also supports the move toward larger-scale production. Pilot batches are prepared early in the process. Production steps are refined along the way. This reduces repeated trials, shortens approval time, and supports the transition to larger-scale production.
Learn more about Apical’s collaborative initiatives on our [Partnerships] page.
The Apical Innovation Centre works with customers and partners who are looking to improve the performance of existing oils and fats. Engagements typically focus on refining formulations, resolving application or processing challenges, and supporting preparation for larger-scale production.
Work is carried out through close collaboration, using trials and pilot-scale validation to assess performance under conditions that reflect actual use. This approach helps ensure that technical recommendations are practical and relevant to customer operations.
To discuss how the AIC team can support your next phase of work, please get in touch with us.
Contact the AIC Team
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Di Apical Group, komitmen kami terhadap keberlanjutan berasal dari tingkat pimpinan tertinggi. Presiden Apical didukung oleh Direktur Keberlanjutan dan berbagai pimpinan unit bisnis untuk memastikan bahwa keberlanjutan terintegrasi dalam unit bisnis dan fungsional, serta tertanam dalam nilai dan inisiatif utama perusahaan.
Topik keberlanjutan dibahas dalam rapat Dewan Direksi yang diadakan setiap kuartal. Kami juga memiliki tim Keberlanjutan khusus yang berbasis di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, serta di Pekanbaru, Dumai, Medan, Jakarta, dan Balikpapan di Indonesia. Tim Keberlanjutan bertugas untuk melaksanakan dan memantau komitmen kami melalui keterlibatan dan kolaborasi konstruktif dengan para pemangku kepentingan.
Selain itu, terdapat departemen Sosial, Keamanan, dan Perizinan (SSL) di setiap kilang yang kami miliki, yang menangani urusan sosial dan perizinan sesuai dengan peraturan nasional serta Kebijakan Keberlanjutan Apical. Tim ini juga mengawasi program Tanggung Jawab Sosial Perusahaan (CSR) untuk mendukung peningkatan kesejahteraan masyarakat setempat.
Mewujudkan tujuan keberlanjutan memerlukan lebih dari sekadar kolaborasi dengan para pemangku kepentingan utama kami. Kolaborasi lintas industri dan dengan perusahaan sejenis juga sangat penting, oleh karena itu kami terus mencari dan berpartisipasi dalam kemitraan baru, keanggotaan industri yang relevan, serta skema sertifikasi.
Kami berpartisipasi dalam keanggotaan industri dan skema sertifikasi seperti Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) — termasuk RSPO P&C Review Taskforce dan RSPO Indonesia National Interpretation Working Group, International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), serta Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO).
At Apical Group, our commitment to sustainability stems right from the top. Apical’s President is supported by the Director of Sustainability and various business heads, to ensure sustainability is integrated within business and functional units, and embedded in the company’s core values and initiatives.
Sustainability topics are discussed at Board meetings held quarterly. We also have dedicated Sustainability teams based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Pekanbaru, Dumai, Medan, Jakarta and Balikpapan in Indonesia. The Sustainability teams are tasked with implementing and monitoring our commitments through constructive stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
In addition, there is also a dedicated Social, Security and Licensing (SSL) department in each refinery we own, to handle social and licensing matters in compliance with national regulations as well as the Apical Sustainability Policy. The team also oversees Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to support better livelihoods in local communities.
Achieving sustainability goals requires more than just collaboration with our key stakeholders. Collaboration across industries and peer companies are also crucial and hence, we constantly look for and participate in new partnerships, relevant industry membership and certification schemes.
We participate in industry membership and certification schemes such as the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), including the RSPO P&C Review Taskforce and the RSPO Indonesia National Interpretation Working Group, the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), and the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO).
