Chemical

MetroTech Chemicals Inc. is expanding operations in Charlotte, N.C. Currently located in 17,000 sf, MetroTech plans to renovate its existing facility and construct an additional 20,000 sf of warehouse, production, office, and mezzanine space. Construction will begin in early spring 2005 and reach completion in August 2005. The project architect is Laughing Dog Studio Architecture, with the Charlotte office of Choate Construction Co. as general contractor.

Kao Specialties Americas has completed a $13 million expansion of its plant in High Point, N.C. Doubling Kao's manufacturing capacity, the four-story, 18,000-sf facility produces polyester resin which is made into toner for printers, copiers, and fax machines. 

United Biochemicals is planning a 20,000-sf expansion of of manufacturing and warehousing operations at its existing 23,000-sf facility in Sanborn, N.Y. The $1.2-million project will enable the biochemical manufacturer to add 30 more jobs to its existing staff of 24 over the next five years. The facility, sited in the Inducon Industrial Park, is slated for completion in February 2005.

LG Chem Industrial Materials, a unit of the LG Group of Korea , will build a 150,000-sf manufacturing plant in Georgia ’s Gordon county. Representing a $40 million investment, the facility will create up to 70 new jobs initially with a significant potential for growth within five years. LG Chem is a chemical company that manufactures products ranging from petrochemical goods to high performance polymers and plastics.

Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning is planning to construct a 50,000-sf insulation manufacturing plant in Gresham , Ore. Supplying the company’s rigid XPS products to the western United States and western Canada , the plant is expected to begin operations in 2005. 

Tokyo-based Toray Industries has completed construction of a 70,000-sf manufacturing plant in Decatur, Ala. Built by Doster Construction of Birmingham, the $25-million plant will produce Teflon fiber products used in DuPont fabrics, sealants, and non-stick cooking surfaces. Designed by Gresham Smith & Partners of Nashville, the facility is sited across the street from Toray’s existing $70-million, seven-year-old facility.

Aldrich Chemical Co. is consolidating three citywide locations with a move to an 800,000-sf plant in Milwaukee. Slated to begin in fall and continue through June 2005, the relocation was prompted by a need to make room for the reconstruction of the Marquette interchange where Aldrich’s main site was located. The sale of the site will fund the $65-million expansion and renovation of the new plant. Aldrich Chemical is a subsidiary of Sigma-Aldrich Corp. of St. Louis, a producer of biochemical and organic chemical products.

Sabre Technical Services, creator of a chloride dioxide gas technology for the elimination of anthrax and other bio-organisms, will establish Bio-One in the 64,000-sf Boca Raton facility that previously housed the National Enquirer. The facility was contaminated by anthrax spores in fall of 2001. Bio-One will decontaminate the space prior to occupancy. Bio-One is a joint venture of Sabre Technical Services and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Indianapolis, Ind.-based Polaris Laboratories has opened a new fluid analysis testing facility in Houston. The 5,000-sf laboratory, which can complete most routine testing in 24 hours, has the capacity to process 3,000 samples per day. Polaris provides fluid analysis testing to the transportation, power generation, and gas compression industries.

BioLab, a Decatur-based manufacturer of water treatment products, will relocate to 89,000 sf of office space in Gwinnett County's Hillside III at Huntcrest development in spring of 2003. Terms of the lease with Duke Realty Corp. include the construction of an adjacent 50,000-sf build-to-suit research facility for BioLab slated for completion in March 2004. BioLab is a subsidiary of Indiana-based Great Lakes Chemical Corp.

Ashland Specialty Chemical Co., a division of Covington, England-based Ashland Inc., has completed the expansion of its Kidderminster, Worcestershire, manufacturing facility. The plant can now produce specialized pressure-sensitive adhesives in addition to its metal-casting products and services operations.

American BioFuels is relocating its production operations to Bakersfield, Calif., as part of a joint venture with Hondo Chemical of Bakersfield. American BioFuels, based in San Diego, will move from a building in Adelanto which processed 2.5 million gallons of biofuel annually to Hondo's Bakersfield site, which can process 50 million gallons annually. Initial production is aimed to reach 15 million gallons per year as market demand increases. Production at the Hondo facilities is slated to begin in February 2003.

Cytec Industries has selected Flad & Associates to design a renovation to their facility in Stamford, Ct. Flad is providing full architectural design services including programming, planning and structural engineering design for the renovation of 240,000 sf of lab and support space. Other team members include Affiliated Engineers of Gainesville, Florida, and Turner Construction of Milford, Ct., providing estimating and construction services.

Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF plans to expand its Research Triangle Park administration and production facilities by 90,000 sf and renovate 20,000 sf of laboratory space. The German chemical firm is investing $22 million in the project, which will add approximately 100 jobs. BASF currently has 420 employees in 132,000 sf in RTP. By year-end, relocation of employees from a closing crop protection research center in Princeton, N.J., could increase BASF's Triangle workforce to 520.

Sigma-Aldrich Corp. recently broke ground for its new fast-track $57-million Life Science Technology Center in downtown St. Louis. The project includes construction of a 133,000-sf lab building with three stories above grade and one below grade. Lab and office space will surround a three-story atrium in the center of the building. In addition, an attached one-story, 12,000-sf learning center with auditorium will be constructed.