TOR Minerals completes plant expansion, launches new product

Coatings World, Feb, 2005

TOR Minerals International has completed the expansion of its Corpus Christi, TX titanium dioxide plant and the introduction of its new Ti[O.sub.2] product, Hitox-SF (superfine).

The plant expansion will increase production of Hitox titanium dioxide pigment at Corpus Christi by 10,000 tons annually and utilize a new production process, which is expected to reduce costs and has the potential to increase the size of the market for Hitox, according to the company.

"By reducing the consumption of natural gas, we anticipate that our new production process will save us on the order of $1 million per year on our current production costs alone beginning in January 2005," said Richard Bowers, president and chief executive officer of TOR Minerals.

According to Bowers, the new Hitox-SF will have greatly improved opacity, gloss and color characteristics and has similar opacity characteristics to regular white titanium dioxide, but at a price that is both lower to its customers and produces attractive margins for TOR, according to the company. New Hitox-SF will be available for sale beginning in the first quarter.