CHEMICALS firm Johnson Matthey Catalysts will today unveil its new £800,000 home on Teesside.

The former Synetix company has built a production control centre at its site on Haverton Hill, Billingham.

The investment adds to the company's commitment to the region.

Roger Kilburn, vice-president of polymers, chemicals and edible oils, Johnson Matthey Catalysts, said: "This investment is a statement of our commitment to the future of catalyst manufacturing on Teesside, and to the development of both the site and the people who work here."

It will allow the production and manufacture of catalysts to be managed under one roof and also contains offices and other facilities.

It replaces a smaller centre which needed renovation.

The catalysts manufactured at the Haverton site are sold worldwide and have a number of applications.

An example of the company's work is in the inks industry. It provides catalysts that are added to inks to enable them to stick to flexible packaging such as crisp packets and sweets wrappers.

In the coatings industry, catalysts are added to water-based paints, enabling the paint to be almost solid in the pot but to flow smoothly when put on a surface and not to run once it has been applied.

Johnson Matthey acquired former North East Company of the Year Synetix in November last year.

Earlier this month it unveiled its new market identity as Johnson Matthey Catalysts.