Arizona Chemical broke ground on a $10 million, 27,000 square foot science and technology center in Georgia that will be the new home for its U.S. research and development activities when it opens in December 2013.
When complete, the new science and technology center will accommodate more than 50 scientists and support staff focused on developing bio-based solutions for Arizona Chemical customers.
In addition to the new center, which will replace an existing research facility, the company has a large refinery and more than 200 employees in Savannah. Our Savannah refinery is among the largest in the company and the global pine chemicals industry, said David Cowfer, vice president of human resources and communications.
The company also has a European research center in Almere, the Netherlands, and opened another center in Shanghai in 2012 to support its growth in Asia.
Arizona Chemical makes naturally derived specialty resins and pine-based chemicals for the lubricants, oleochemicals, adhesives, roads and construction, tires, fuel additives and mining markets. Its tall oil fatty acids are used in manufacture of metalworking fluids and corrosion inhibitors, and in industrial uses such as lubricants for belt conveyors, escalators and tracks.
The company is headquartered in the United States in Jacksonville, Fla., and in the European Union in Almere, Netherlands. It has plants in the U.S. and Europe.