Imerys Opens New Global Science & Technology Center

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Sep 07, 2017, 09:43 ET

SUWANEE, Ga., Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 23, 2017, Imerys celebrated the Grand Opening of its 30,000 square foot global Science & Technology Center in Suwanee, Georgia, designed by local architect Jordan Williams of plexus r+d, Inc. The facility is one of nine technology centers around the world, networked and inter-connected, for the sharing of ideas, equipment and competencies across Imerys. The new Imerys Technical Center houses a diverse group of geologists, scientists and engineers and will provide an inspiring place to ideate and innovate for Imerys' diverse customers and markets.

(from left to right): Chris Paynter - Imerys Carbonates Atlanta S&T Director, Frederic Jouffret - Imerys Functional Additives Cluster Technology Global Director, Louis de Corail - Consul General of France, Thierry Materne - Imerys Chief Innovation Officer, John Albers - Georgia State Senator, Vincent Couty - Imerys Carbonates General Manager, Jean-Francois Morizer - Imerys Carbonates Global S&T Director, Marie Laumont - French American Chamber of Commerce Executive Director

The Grand Opening was celebrated at the facility with a formal ribbon cutting with Georgia State Senator, John Albers, the French Consul General, Louis de Corail, as well as many customers, global colleagues, industry partners and academia. According to Imerys' global Chief Innovation Officer, Thierry Materne, "The new facility will be mineral agnostic, but market driven to serve the Imerys-wide goal to be a global leader and supplier-of-choice for performance materials and functional additives. Innovation, through science, materials and application, is at the heart of what we will do here!"

Grand Opening attendees had the opportunity to celebrate "Earth@Work", with interactive displays demonstrating how Imerys transforms a large variety of minerals into high value specialty products essential for its customers' products and manufacturing processes. Imerys serves a wide variety of markets from food, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, flooring and plastics to concrete, adhesives, paint and more. Attendees observed Bob Zasadny, a multi-media sculptor from Indiana, as he demonstrated his art at work, transforming talc and other minerals into a finished art piece commissioned on behalf of the technical center.

Vincent Couty, Vice President & General Manager of Imerys Carbonates, North America stated "I am pleased to host this great community of customers, academia and political leaders and look forward to building sustainable innovation partnerships with our customers at the center of everything we do. This new facility will attract great technical and marketing talent to our growing team of business leaders." Imerys employs 16,000 people globally and around 1,000 in Georgia today.

Alice Grimes
Marketing Communications Manager
+1 770-645-3312, [email protected]

About Imerys

The world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry, with €4.2 billion revenue and close to 16,000 employees, Imerys delivers high value-added, functional solutions to a great number of sectors, from processing industries to consumer goods. The Group draws on its knowledge of applications, technological expertise and its material science know-how to deliver resources based on beneficiation of its mineral resources, synthetic minerals and formulations. These contribute essential properties to customers' products and performance, including refractoriness, hardness, conductivity, opacity, durability, purity, lightness, filtration, absorption and repellency. Imerys is determined to develop responsibly, in particular by fostering the emergence of environmentally-friendly products and processes.

SOURCE Imerys