CHEMICALS and materials group Johnson Matthey yesterday announced multi-millions pound plans to build an autocatalyst facility in Russia.
Johnson Matthey, which employs 450 people at the UK headquarters of its catalysts business in Billingham, Teesside, has taken the first steps to secure a brownfield site for the manufacturing plant in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.
The group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lev Kuznetsov, the first deputy governor of Russia's Krasnoyarsk region, and Igor Tikhov, the general director of the Krastsvetmet Metal Company.
Johnson Matthey plans to build a plant to manufacture emission control catalysts for diesel and petrol powered vehicles for the Russian market, which will see emissions legislation requiring the use of autocatalysts come into force this spring.
Under the terms of the MOU, the facility will purchase precious metal salts from Krastsvetmet to use in the manufacture of autocatalysts.
Paul Framp, managing director for the European region of the Catalytic Systems Division, said: We feel that this is the right time to secure our place in the market."
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