Imerys Performance Minerals has extended its Science & Technology lab facilities in Toulouse, southwest France. The 2,500m² premises plays host to some 50 experts and features state-of-the-art equipment for the paint, polymers, rubber, ceramics, building materials, filtration, health and food & feed markets.
Meeting Customers’ Operational Needs
The new extended facilities at our S&T lab in Toulouse have officially opened. Renovations on site include a new lab, completed at the end of 2020. The extended complex, which now covers an area of around 2,500m² and plays host to some 50 scientists, will help speed up the launch of new products to meet customers’ operational needs and future trends and challenges of Imerys’ key markets.
The scope of the Toulouse lab covers:
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Paints and coatings for architectural and industrial applications
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Polymers for the automotive, electronics and recycling markets
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Agriculture, cosmetics, human food and animal feed and pharmaceutical products
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Ceramics for the tile, sanitaryware and tableware markets and kiln furniture
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Innovative building materials, such as mineral insulation and geopolymers
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Filtration for industrial and food applications
Customers and manufacturers already recognize the Toulouse lab as a benchmark for the development of new solutions based on minerals for plastic materials (virgin, recycled and biopolymer resins), elastomers and life sciences.
It is a renowned center of excellence for dynamic research and development of polymer applications, and Imerys’ colleagues based there have close access to academic and scientific resources in the region. The team also work to share knowledge and findings with labs elsewhere in Europe, as well as the United States and Asia.
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This extended lab allows us to simulate the use of our mineral solutions in the production processes of our customers under real conditions. Emphasis is also placed on the life cycle of our new products, an increasingly important criterion in the ecological transition of European industry", says Guillaume Delacroix, senior vice president of Imerys in charge of Performance Minerals EMEA.
Frédéric Jouffret, vice president for performance minerals science & technology, adds, "
The integration of new application laboratories in the Toulouse Technical Center will enable us to reinforce our development capabilities for performance minerals to maximize efficiency and reach a critical mass of scientists to accelerate innovation.”
Source: Imerys Performance Minerals