Millennium Inorganic Chemicals formally dedicated its new Research Center in Baltimore, a $20-million, 120,000-square-foot facility that houses 28 laboratories involved in research related to titanium dioxide (TiO2) products and manufacturing processes.

BALTIMORE — Millennium Inorganic Chemicals Inc. formally dedicated its new Research Center in Baltimore, a $20-million, 120,000-square-foot facility that houses 28 laboratories involved in research related to titanium dioxide (TiO2) products and manufacturing processes. The company said the facility represents a major investment in R&D programs, and is twice the size of the company’s Technical Center at the nearby Hawkins Point TiO2production plant.

“As a corporation, we have made a commitment to be the most value-creative chemical company in the world,” said Bob Lee, the company’s president and CEO. “Our growing research effort as demonstrated by development of this facility further supports this commitment.” Lee called the Research Center “one of the most significant investments in this business, outside of plants, in a number of years.”

The company said research projects and analytical work at the site focus on development of new products and advances in existing products; developing and improving manufacturing processes; and studying the chemical and physical properties and mechanisms of the formation of basic particles. Personnel located at the site include scientists, engineers, technicians, support staff, and managers. The company said it plans to expand the number of employees working at the facility.

Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, based in Hunt Valley, MD, is the world’s second-largest supplier of TiO2, and also manufactures a range of non-pigmentary TiO2 products, titanium tetrachloride, and zirconium oxide.