PASADENA, TX – Oxiteno, a manufacturer of surfactants and specialty chemicals in Latin America, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of its operations in Pasadena, Texas. The project is part of a total investment of approximately $113 million in the United States through 2017. The investment’s objective is to improve Oxiteno’s ability to serve clients in North America by opening significant production capacity in the United States, close to its clients and to transportation. Delivery times for Oxiteno’s U.S. clients are expected to be dramatically reduced, and the company’s ability to develop custom solutions will improve. The project will expand the alkoxylation industrial plant, a research and development laboratory, and commercial offices, serving to complement Oxiteno’s existing industrial and customer service structures.

Oxiteno employees in the United States and General Manager and Ultra Director Andrea Campos Soares participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.

The plant will begin operating in the fourth quarter of 2017, with an installed capacity of 170 thousand tons per year. As a result of the investment, Oxiteno will expand its portfolio of surfactants and specialty chemicals, as well as its alkoxylation technologies, focusing on the agrochemicals, personal care, home care, paint and coatings, and oil and gas markets in North America.

Oxiteno is leader in the manufacture of surfactants and specialty chemicals, with a presence in nine countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The company has 12 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela, in addition to commercial offices in Argentina, Belgium, China and Colombia.