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Interview with Tioxide: Back on stream at Greatham
In this interview, Karen Askwith, Tioxide’s Managing Director, speaks about the strategic vision for the site, the grades and applications being prioritised, the roadmap for the second production line, and the challenges of rebuilding both the plant and its workforce. By Damir Gagro.
Following LB Group’s acquisition, Tioxide has restarted titanium dioxide (TiO₂) production at its Greatham site on Teesside, which has a total nameplate capacity of 150,000 tonnes of TiO₂ pigment per annum. Just under four months after the deal, the first production stream is back online on schedule, a second recruitment wave is under way, and R&D capability has been retained at Wynyard.
LB Group’s acquisition has created the basis for Tioxide’s return to Teesside. What is the longer-term strategic vision for the Greatham site within the wider business?
Karen Askwith: The first stage for us is the restart, which we have successfully managed to do during last week, and we are now focused on restarting the remaining second stream that we have. In the longer term, it is about building a successful, competitive and sustainable UK manufacturing base. We will continue to produce the same premium products that Greatham used to produce, under the “Tioxide” and the “Deltio” brands. What is important now is to build how Greatham fits within the wider LB portfolio, as part of the Tioxide company that we have formed. We will be investing in our people, we will be strengthening our customer relationships, and we will be developing a longer-term business strategy based on the benefits of being owned by the world’s largest TiO₂ manufacturer.
Which TiO₂ grades will be prioritised during the initial production phase, and which coatings applications are they intended to serve?
Askwith: We have started up on “Tioxide R-TC90”, a brand that everybody recognises and that is well known in the architectural coatings industry, but we will be switching to “Tioxide TR81” in the near future. This is a more highly durable grade, featured in exterior industrial applications as well as protective and marine coatings applications. However, we will be producing all of the grades that Greatham manufactures over the next few months. We will be running production campaigns of all grades, so all grades will be available.
Once the first production stream is established, what will determine the timing and priorities for bringing the second line into operation?
Askwith: The critical path for restarting both the first and the second stream has been the recruitment campaigns that we have launched. We launched the first recruitment campaign as soon as we became Tioxide, and we launched the second recruitment campaign a couple of weeks ago. Over the next few months, with the second stream, we have a number of maintenance and commissioning activities to carry out. But again, it is about recruiting the staff that we need and training them to be able to restart the second stream. We expect that to be in early 2027.
Tioxide has expanded its R&D capability at Wynyard. What are the immediate technical priorities for the research team as production returns?
Askwith: LB were very keen to make sure we retain the highly qualified technical personnel that are part of Tioxide’s heritage. We have retained the R&D capability that we had at Wynyard. The innovation centre is still there and operational, along with a number of key staff to facilitate that operation. We have therefore retained what is really important to us and to our customers. Our priority focus is providing technical support to the commercial teams and to our customers, and developing and enhancing our product portfolio. We do not just want to be what we are currently known as; we want to know what is coming next and look forward into the future, supporting customers and product applications, meeting their technical requirements, and exploring innovation opportunities for customers and for ourselves.
The restart combines experienced former site personnel with newly recruited specialists. How is that mix of operational knowledge and new technical capability being translated into reliable products and responsive customer support?
Askwith: It has been really pleasing for me to see the people who are returning to the business, and to see people keen to come back and work with us at Greatham to help us restart. That has not just been here at Greatham; we have also had people return to our support services, which is great to see. However, it is also valuable to have new people start, because they come with fresh ideas and new ways of looking at things. That is one of the benefits: you bring the new people together, look at the established ways of working and develop new ones, to see where you can improve and upgrade from where we used to be. But having the experienced personnel come back has certainly been a real benefit in helping the restart process.
What are the main challenges to recruit the needed personnel, and how do you counter these challenges?
Askwith: I am personally very impressed that we have managed to fill 60 roles in the three-month period since we launched. That is a considerable amount of work, but I believe it is a testament to the reputation that we have in the local area, which helps us bring people back and attract them. As for the next phase, we will see whether we face any challenges, but at the moment I think the interest is strong. We have already signed two contracts, and we only launched the recruitment campaign two weeks ago. So at present it is looking very positive in terms of our ability to fill the roles.
