Grace Positions for Growth with Significant Investment in New East Chicago, Indiana Analytical Lab

COLUMBIA, Md., June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W. R. Grace & Co (NYSE:GRA), a global leader in specialty silica, announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art analytical lab at its U.S. colloidal manufacturing site, East Chicago, IN.

The East Chicago location is one of Grace’s global manufacturing sites where the LUDOX^® colloidal silica brand is produced. In June 2020, a new LUDOX^® colloidal silica plant opened in Worms, Germany to meet increased global demand. This substantial investment in the analytical lab comes as Grace continues to see enduring year-over-year growth of its flagship colloidal silica brand LUDOX^®.

A key product in Grace’s specialty silica portfolio, LUDOX^® colloidal silica is used in a wide range of applications including catalysts, investment casting binders, coatings and refractory additives, concrete, non-stick cookware, and much more. Cited in over 35,000 patents, LUDOX^® colloidal silica still has considerable untapped potential for new and innovative uses. Grace’s proprietary manufacturing process produces an extremely narrow particle size distribution and allows LUDOX^® colloidal silica particles to be chemically customized, making it a preferred brand for challenging, high-performance applications.

“This investment positions Grace at the forefront of ongoing innovation and accelerates our responsiveness to the evolving needs of our customers’ use of LUDOX^® in critical applications,” said Sandra Wisniewski, President, Grace Materials Technologies. “We are excited to expand our footprint in the East Chicago community and have extended capabilities that will support continued global demand.”

Chad Starr, Plant Manager, added: “The renovation supports the team’s continued quest to uncover new uses for LUDOX^® colloidal silica. The new, state-of-the-art lab will be a driving force in Grace’s continued innovation and growth.”

As an active member of the East Chicago community since 2000, Grace has been contributing to the local economy through employment and charitable donations for 21 years.

About Grace

Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading global specialty chemical company. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customers around the world. With approximately 4,300 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 60 countries. More information about Grace is available at grace.com.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such statements generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “will,” “expects,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,” “continues,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding: financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology; benefits from cost reduction initiatives; succession planning; markets for securities; the anticipated timing of closing of the proposed transaction between Grace and affiliates of Standard Industries Holdings Inc. and the potential benefits of the proposed transaction. For these statements, Grace claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Grace is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from its projections or that could cause forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: risks related to foreign operations, especially in areas of active conflicts and in emerging regions; the costs and availability of raw materials, energy, and transportation; the effectiveness of Grace’s research and development and growth investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and businesses; developments affecting Grace’s outstanding indebtedness; developments affecting Grace’s pension obligations; legacy matters (including product, environmental, and other legacy liabilities) relating to past activities of Grace; its legal and environmental proceedings; environmental compliance costs (including existing and potential laws and regulations pertaining to climate change); the inability to establish or maintain certain business relationships; the inability to hire or retain key personnel; natural disasters such as storms and floods; fires and force majeure events; the economics of its customers’ industries, including the petroleum refining, petrochemicals, and plastics industries, and shifting consumer preferences; public health and safety concerns, including pandemics and quarantines; changes in tax laws and regulations; international trade disputes, tariffs, and sanctions; the potential effects of cyberattacks; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement between Grace and Standard Industries Holdings Inc.’s affiliates; the failure to obtain Grace shareholder approval of the transaction or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions to the completion of the transaction; risks relating to the financing required to complete the transaction; the effect of the announcement of the transaction on the ability of Grace to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its customers, vendors and others with whom it does business, or on its operating results and businesses generally; risks associated with the disruption of management’s attention from ongoing business operations due to the transaction; the ability to meet expectations regarding the timing and completion of the transaction; significant transaction costs, fees, expenses and charges; the risk of litigation and/or regulatory actions related to the transaction; the effects of the transaction on the previously announced fine chemicals business acquisition, which is pending as of the date hereof, and the integration thereof; other business effects, including the effects of industry, market, economic, political, regulatory or world health conditions (including new or ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic), and other factors detailed in Grace’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and Grace’s other filings with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov and on Grace’s website at www.grace.com. Grace’s reported results should not be considered as an indication of its future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Grace undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to its forward-looking statements, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the dates those statements are made.

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