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Streamlined production at a chemical plant has restarted, months after its former owners made hundreds of employees redundant.<\/b><\/p>\n
The titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment production facility at Greatham, in Hartlepool, has reopened as newly created company, Tioxide Materials Limited. <\/p>\n
LB Group, who own the subsidiary, bought the plant from Venator Materials UK after that company went into administration last year with 270 job losses across Venator’s Greatham, Wynyard and Birtley sites.<\/p>\n
Tioxide said operations were being brought back in phases, with plans to increase production to the site’s full capacity by early 2027. Titanium dioxide is a material used in coatings, plastics and inks applications.<\/p>\n
Managing director Karen Askwith said: “To restart operations, to restart recruitment and employment for skilled manufacturing people here in Hartlepool, in the North East, it’s just a wonderful thing.”<\/p>\n
She said tears came to her eyes when she saw the smoke rising from the site again as it came back online.<\/p>\n
“Titanium dioxide is a white pigment and, to be frank, if you see something white around you it’s probably got titanium dioxide in,” Askwith said.<\/p>\n
“It’s in the walls, it’s in the white window frames you have in your house, it’s in our plastic white hats we have here on site.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n