W. R. Grace & Co announced the opening of a new, 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 colloidal silica brand LUDOX®. 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.