Milliken & Co. unit SiVance LLC has opened a new research and development lab for silicone and silane technologies in Gainesville, Fla.
The new lab covers 11,000 square feet and will speed up process development for silicones and silanes, officials with SiVance said in an April 21 news release. Vice President Saikat Joardar described the lab as “a major milestone in our continuous investment strategy.”
“The new lab was designed from the ground up to support customer needs,” he said.
The building includes sophisticated equipment for research, process development and testing. It features eight bench-top hoods for small-scale research development and eight large walk-in fume hoods for large-scale development and for making material samples.
Gainesville-based SiVance was acquired in 2011 by Milliken, a specialty chemicals maker in Spartanburg, S.C. Milliken is a major supplier of plastic additives, including clarifying agents, nucleating agents and colorants.