Materia plans to open an olefin metathesis catalyst manufacturing and R&D facility in Singapore. The company expects to complete the site selection process in 3Q 2011 and begin construction by year-end.
Materia’s new facility will reach initial operating capacity of 10 metric tons by the end of 2012. In addition to catalyst manufacturing, the plant will house research, development, and technical service resources. The Singapore site will be operated and controlled by Materia’s newly formed subsidiary, Materia Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Materia was founded in 1998 to commercialize olefin metathesis catalyst technology. This market-enabling, Nobel Prize-winning, green chemical technology enables chemical compounds to be synthesized with greater efficiency, under less stringent reaction conditions, and with reduced byproducts and hazardous waste. Metathesis has been accepted as an emerging “green technology” platform and has been broadly adopted by the pharmaceutical, chemical, and polymer industries.