Tioxide Restores Full Pigment Range at UK TiO2 Plant
Tioxide Materials Ltd. said its Greatham titanium dioxide pigment plant in the United Kingdom is making faster-than-expected progress following the restart of manufacturing in August. According to the company’s Oct. 8 manufacturing update, the facility can now produce all TIOXIDE and DELTIO pigment grades as output increases on its first manufacturing line.
The update comes approximately seven weeks after pigment manufacturing resumed at the Teesside site on Aug. 18. Tioxide said output on the first manufacturing line is ramping up faster than originally anticipated as the company builds inventories in response to customer demand.
The restart followed LB Group's acquisition of the Greatham site and associated assets in April. Tioxide is a wholly owned subsidiary of LB Group.
PCI reported in August that single-stream production had restarted at the plant following four months of commissioning, testing and maintenance.
Tioxide's current portfolio includes TiO2 grades designed for architectural and industrial coatings. Products manufactured under the TIOXIDE and DELTIO brands serve applications including protective, powder, coil, automotive, marine and wood coatings.
At the same time, engineering and commissioning work is continuing on the plant's second manufacturing stream. Tioxide said that line remains on schedule to return to production in early 2027. Once both streams are operating, Greatham is expected to return to its full 150,000-metric-ton annual nameplate capacity.
The company is also continuing to rebuild its workforce. Recent hiring across multiple departments, including the return of former Greatham employees, is expected to increase Tioxide's total workforce to 267 employees in the coming weeks.
Tioxide is targeting a workforce of 308 employees in 2027, including more than 200 at the Greatham manufacturing site, which the company said would bring site staffing back to levels comparable with its previous operation.
The company has also opened a new headquarters in Stockton-on-Tees. Tioxide said bringing support functions together at the site is intended to improve coordination and customer response as manufacturing volumes increase.
"The last seven weeks have flown by. In a short space of time, we have achieved so much," said Karen Askwith, managing director of Tioxide. "We are ahead of where we wanted to be in terms of production volumes and grades produced and have been delighted with the reaction to the restart from our customers and locally on Teesside."
Askwith said the return of former employees has also brought experience with the facility, manufacturing processes and pigment portfolio back into the organization.
"While there is still more work ahead of us, the progress made during our first seven weeks gives us a very strong platform to build on," she said.
Recruitment remains underway for positions in engineering, manufacturing, sales, information technology and customer service as Tioxide prepares for the second production stream.
TiO2 is a critical pigment for architectural and industrial coatings. The return of Greatham’s full pigment range is relevant to coatings manufacturers evaluating TiO₂ supply. The planned second-stream restart in early 2027 would bring the plant back to its total annual nameplate capacity of 150,000 metric tons.
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