Huber Engineered Materials (HEM), part of J.M. Huber Corporation, has stated that construction is progressing on schedule for its new dental silica plant being built in the coastal city of Qingdao, Shangdong province, China.
New dental silica facility on schedule
“We continue to make significant progress at Qingdao and are optimistic we’ll make our goal of becoming operational in June of this year,” said Mike Marberry, president of HEM. “The buildings are currently being completed and the primary equipment installed, so the plant is taking shape. In the coming months, we will be finalising construction and connecting utilities and other services. We are very excited about this addition to our silica production capabilities.” When operational, the facility (pictured) is expected to output 40,000 metric tonnes of precipitated dental silica annually. The plant is a critical component of Huber’s strategy to drive geographic expansion and growth of its silica business, particularly in the Asian Pacific region. Currently, Huber produces silica products at six other locations: Havre de Grace, Maryland, US; Etowah, Tennessee, US; Oostende, Belgium; Hamina, Finland; Uddevalla, Sweden; and Jhagadia, India. Huber dental silicas are primarily used as cleaning agents and thickeners in toothpaste formulations. Huber has perfected the science of particle-size control and rheology to ensure its dental silica can be formulated in a variety of dentifrice products including opaque, clear gel, striped, dual phase, high cleaning and specialty formulas.
