W R Grace & Co, a world-leading international specialty chemicals and materials company, has opened its new regional head office in Dubai.

“The Middle East offers significant opportunities in construction and refining technologies as the region continues to grow at a rapid yet sustainable rate,” said chairman and CEO Fred Festa.

“Our understanding of the region and its specific requirements is incredibly deep, and this further commitment underlines the importance we place on the region. We look forward to more closely supporting our local customers and exploring future opportunities together,” he said.

Maurice Ghattas, vice president of Grace Middle East, added: “Grace has a strong, long term and rapidly growing client base in the region, and the opening of a new regional headquarters in Dubai signifies a new phase in investment in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the broader Middle East region. Our strengthened presence in the region is aimed at meeting increasingly sophisticated requirements for construction and refining technologies in this region at a time of unprecedented development in both sectors.”

The new office houses employees from multiple Grace product lines and provides a central resource for customers in the region.

Grace has operated in the region since 1983, when the company began to manufacture, market, and sell chemical products to the construction industry through a joint venture. More recently, Grace expanded its manufacturing capacity through an investment in the Kuwait Catalyst Company (KCC), under which KCC manufactures residuum hydroprocessing catalysts for Advanced Refining Technologies (ART), Grace’s joint venture with the Chevron Products Company. Residuum hydroprocessing catalysts help refiners produce environmentally friendly, cleaner-burning transportation fuels by removing sulfur and other contaminants from petroleum.

In addition to this office, Grace operates a manufacturing facility at the Jebel Ali Free Zone, a major business hub in Dubai. The facility produces specialty construction chemicals, including concrete admixtures and cement additives. The facility is currently being expanded to increase output of those materials and to add masonry products, fireproofing, waterproofing materials and systems. Collectively, these products help make homes and buildings stronger, safer and more comfortable. In total, Grace has 80 employees in Dubai.

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and other products and services to petroleum refiners; catalysts for the manufacture of plastics; silica-based engineered and specialty materials for a wide range of industrial applications; specialty chemicals, additives and materials for commercial and residential construction; and can sealants and coatings for food packaging.

With annual sales of more than $2.8 billion, Grace has about 6,500 employees and operations in over 40 countries. – TradeArabia News Service