Grace Positions for Growth with Significant Investment in New East Chicago, Indiana Analytical Lab
June 15 2021 - 8:45AM
W. R. Grace & Co (NYSE:GRA), a global leader in specialty
silica, announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art analytical
lab at its U.S. colloidal manufacturing site, East Chicago, IN.
The East Chicago location is one of Grace’s global manufacturing
sites where the LUDOX® colloidal silica brand is produced. In June
2020, a new LUDOX® colloidal silica plant opened in Worms, Germany
to meet increased global demand. This substantial investment in the
analytical lab comes as Grace continues to see enduring
year-over-year growth of its flagship colloidal silica brand
LUDOX®.
A key product in Grace’s specialty silica portfolio, LUDOX®
colloidal silica is used in a wide range of applications including
catalysts, investment casting binders, coatings and refractory
additives, concrete, non-stick cookware, and much more. Cited in
over 35,000 patents, LUDOX® colloidal silica still has considerable
untapped potential for new and innovative uses. Grace’s proprietary
manufacturing process produces an extremely narrow particle size
distribution and allows LUDOX® colloidal silica particles to be
chemically customized, making it a preferred brand for challenging,
high-performance applications.
“This investment positions Grace at the forefront of ongoing
innovation and accelerates our responsiveness to the evolving needs
of our customers’ use of LUDOX® in critical applications,” said
Sandra Wisniewski, President, Grace Materials Technologies. “We are
excited to expand our footprint in the East Chicago community and
have extended capabilities that will support continued global
demand.”
Chad Starr, Plant Manager, added: “The renovation supports the
team’s continued quest to uncover new uses for LUDOX® colloidal
silica. The new, state-of-the-art lab will be a driving force in
Grace’s continued innovation and growth.”
As an active member of the East Chicago community since 2000,
Grace has been contributing to the local economy through employment
and charitable donations for 21 years.
About Grace
Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading
global specialty chemical company. The company’s two
industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and
Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies,
and services that enhance the products and processes of our
customers around the world. With approximately 4,300 employees,
Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 60 countries. More
information about Grace is available at grace.com.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements, that is,
information related to future, not past, events. Such statements
generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,”
“targets,” “will,” “expects,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,”
“continues,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements
include, without limitation, statements regarding: financial
positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans;
business strategy; operating plans; capital and other expenditures;
competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products;
benefits from new technology; benefits from cost reduction
initiatives; succession planning; markets for securities; the
anticipated timing of closing of the proposed transaction between
Grace and affiliates of Standard Industries Holdings Inc. and the
potential benefits of the proposed transaction. For these
statements, Grace claims the protections of the safe harbor for
forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Grace is subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events
to differ materially from its projections or that could cause
forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could
cause actual results or events to differ materially from those
contained in the forward-looking statements include, without
limitation: risks related to foreign operations, especially in
areas of active conflicts and in emerging regions; the costs and
availability of raw materials, energy, and transportation; the
effectiveness of Grace’s research and development and growth
investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and
businesses; developments affecting Grace’s outstanding
indebtedness; developments affecting Grace’s pension obligations;
legacy matters (including product, environmental, and other legacy
liabilities) relating to past activities of Grace; its legal and
environmental proceedings; environmental compliance costs
(including existing and potential laws and regulations pertaining
to climate change); the inability to establish or maintain certain
business relationships; the inability to hire or retain key
personnel; natural disasters such as storms and floods; fires and
force majeure events; the economics of its customers’ industries,
including the petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and plastics
industries, and shifting consumer preferences; public health and
safety concerns, including pandemics and quarantines; changes in
tax laws and regulations; international trade disputes, tariffs,
and sanctions; the potential effects of cyberattacks; the
occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could
give rise to the termination of the merger agreement between Grace
and Standard Industries Holdings Inc.’s affiliates; the failure to
obtain Grace shareholder approval of the transaction or the failure
to satisfy any of the other conditions to the completion of the
transaction; risks relating to the financing required to complete
the transaction; the effect of the announcement of the transaction
on the ability of Grace to retain and hire key personnel and
maintain relationships with its customers, vendors and others with
whom it does business, or on its operating results and businesses
generally; risks associated with the disruption of management’s
attention from ongoing business operations due to the transaction;
the ability to meet expectations regarding the timing and
completion of the transaction; significant transaction costs, fees,
expenses and charges; the risk of litigation and/or regulatory
actions related to the transaction; the effects of the transaction
on the previously announced fine chemicals business acquisition,
which is pending as of the date hereof, and the integration
thereof; other business effects, including the effects of industry,
market, economic, political, regulatory or world health conditions
(including new or ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic), and
other factors detailed in Grace’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the SEC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and
Grace’s other filings with the SEC, which are available at
http://www.sec.gov and on Grace’s website at www.grace.com. Grace’s
reported results should not be considered as an indication of its
future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as
of the date hereof. Grace undertakes no obligation to release
publicly any revisions to its forward-looking statements, or to
update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the
dates those statements are made.
Media RelationsCaitlin LeopoldCorporate
CommunicationsT +1
410.531.8870 caitlin.leopold@grace.com
Investor RelationsJason HershiserInvestor
RelationsT +1 410.531.8835jason.hershiser@grace.com
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