Clariant Oil Services Invests in Industry-Leading Laboratory Facility

HOUSTON, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• State-of-the-art facility will enhance Clariant's support for customers' flow assurance and integrity challenges
• The facility's Deepwater capability will complement Clariant's Deepwater Center of Excellence recently opened in Rio de Janeiro

Clariant Oil Services announced today that it's investment in a new laboratory facility is on track for completion in Q3 2013. The facility will be in the new Clariant Oil and Mining Services global headquarters campus, located in The Woodlands, Texas.

"The 64000 square foot complex, including offices, laboratories, and training suite, will utilize innovative design concepts to promote a stimulating and safe work environment," said Robin McClure, Vice President, North America Region, Clariant Oil Services. "The dynamic look and feel of the laboratories will create an environment that will allow staff to cross-train, share strengths and fully engage in their roles supporting our customers, whether onshore, offshore shelf, or located in deepwater."

The new facility will have several separate laboratories with robust capabilities, including:

• Flow Assurance: This laboratory will house both industry standard equipment and Clariant-developed units that will accurately assess customer's potential risks and aid design of mitigation measures.
• Deepwater: In addition to the full flow assurance capability, Clariant's Deepwater Laboratory will be equipped with specialist devices for deepwater product qualification testing.
• Integrity: Clariant has developed a laboratory that will effectively manage the full range of customer challenges, including, high shear, sour, high pressure and deepwater applications.
• Well Services Additives: Development and evaluation of high performance products to serve the drilling, stimulation and cementing markets.
• Analytical Laboratory: The analytical suite will feature equipment including SEM, XRD, HPLC, ICP and FTIR – all of which allow characterization of deposits, scales and corrosion mechanisms that can occur in the oilfield environment.

"This equipment, housed in a state-of-the-art facility and staffed with some of the leading figures in the industry, will result in a first class service delivery for Clariant Oil Services' clients," said Robin, he continued " In particular, we are pleased to be able to benefit from our company's experience supporting deepwater and pre-salt production in Brazil to bring these capabilities to our Gulf of Mexico customers." Clariant Oil Services announced the ground breaking for the new facility September 7, 2012.

www.clariant.com

Clariant is a globally leading specialty chemicals company, based in Muttenz near Basel/Switzerland. On December 31, 2012 the company employed a total workforce of 21,202. In the financial year 2012, Clariant recorded sales of CHF 6.038 billion for its continuing businesses. The company reports in four business areas: Care Chemicals, Catalysis & Energy, Natural Resources, Plastics & Coatings. Clariant's corporate strategy is based on four pillars: managing businesses for profitability, research & development and innovation, growth in emerging markets, and repositioning of the portfolio.

oil.clariant.com

Clariant Oil Services is a leading provider of chemical technologies and services to the oil, pipeline and refinery industries. A global business with headquarters in Houston, Texas, Clariant Oil Services is represented in all major oil and gas locations. From deepwater exploration to refining, Clariant Oil Services provides chemical products and services designed to reduce customer costs, decrease operational risks and improve production efficiency.

Clariant Oil Services operates state-of-the-art R&D and applications laboratories in the United States, Scotland, Germany, Brazil and Indonesia, as well as an environmental testing laboratory in Norway. Clariant Oil Services' industry experience is supported by a dedicated global technical services network, providing a unique position from which to address and resolve customer challenges anywhere in the world, now and in the future.

SOURCE Clariant Oil Services