New Technology Centre for Orica Consumer Products

20th November, 2000

The Premier of Victoria, The Hon. Steve Bracks MLA, today officially opened Orica Consumer Products’ $12 million technology centre in Clayton, which will be the development home of such well known consumer brands as Dulux, Berger, British Paints, Cabot’s, Feast Watson, Intergrain and Selleys.

The world class research and development facility houses 70 scientists working on the next generation of products to add to the expansive Orica range, as well as highly sophisticated technical equipment to aid R & D activity. Equipment in the new centre includes a pilot plant facility, a liquid latex laboratory, facilities to optimise colour, quality, and viscosity, a constant conditions room for testing paint variation, and 20 high speed dispersers, each costing $30,000, that give extraordinary control to the paint making process.

Managing Director and CEO of Orica, Philip Weickhardt said "Innovation is one of Orica’s main competitive advantages across all the businesses, and the opening of this new facility is in recognition of the need to nurture innovation with facilities that draw out adventurous ideas and initiatives from our people."

Orica Consumer Products general manager, Jerry Adams said "We have a track record of outstanding technical innovation in our business. Despite having had less than ideal facilities in the past, our team has come up with world’s best new products like Dulux Wash and Wear 101, Dulux Weathershield X10 and the Dulux Tuscan and Dulux Suede Effects Systems. The sky is the limit with what they now have to work with in this marvellous new facility."

Orica Consumer Products is one of the four Orica core business platforms, the others being Mining Services, Chemicals and Agricultural Chemicals, and has sales of $600 million per annum.

Orica Consumer Products’ research and development activity also includes collaboration with other leading research bodies. The Federal Government has recently committed funding to Orica Consumer Products’ Decorative Research group for two research projects to be conducted in conjunction with Monash Universities and the University of Sydney.