Clariant, a world leader in Specialty Chemicals, today announced the opening of the new global headquarters for its Oil and Mining Services business unit in The Woodlands, Texas. A center of technology innovation just north of Houston, it expands on the company's investment strategy in North America.

The campus includes the global Oil Services Center of Excellence, a regional Mining technology center and a customer and employee training facility. The facility, which houses more than 100 offices, will serve all three parts of the OMS operations – Oil Services, Refinery Services and Mining Solutions.

“Clariant's strategy is based on four pillars which are increased profitability, the fostering of innovation and R&D, intensified growth, and the re-positioning of the portfolio. In this context, and given that Houston is considered the epicenter of the global energy industry, the opening is a clear investment in the continued growth of our company,” said Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant.

The campus will include two state-of-the art technical centers, one for Oil and Refinery Services and the other for Mining. The Oil and Refinery Services technical center features robust capabilities focused on deepwater, flow assurance, well service additives and pipeline cleaning and integrity chemical solutions. The new Mining technical center, equipped with a two-story flotation column, will focus on flotation chemicals, emulsifiers for explosives and fertilizer additives.

“The state-of-the-art laboratories will allow staff to cross-train, share strengths and fully engage in their roles giving us unique new assets and capabilities that set a new standard in the industry,” said John Dunne, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Clariant OMS. “This investment sets us up to grow our business and provide sustainable solutions to our customers for at least the next decade in North America.”