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Du Pont first announced plans for its titanium dioxide plant some five years ago. It proposed to import ilmenite ore from Australia through the Port of Gulfport and to the plant by rail. With ilmenite, Du Pont would make titanium dioxide, which is the basic pigment that goes into everything from house paint to magazine paper. Employing some 550 people, Du Pont’s titanium capacity would be increased some 25 percent.
But the nation’s economy soon slowed, especially the construction industry to which Du Pont sells much of its titanium. As the recession deepened and housing starts came to a crawl, Du Pont put construction of its new plant on hold. Site preparation was permitted to continue on a 200-acre slice of 2,200 acres Du Pont had purchased. *
It was simply a matter of waiting for the dark clouds to break. Nearly two years after Du Pont put its plant on the shelf, the company’s finance committee gave the construction division the “go” sign. That effectively concluded the first problem and Du P.ont could turn its attention to the growing second problem — objections from environmentalists over the Du Pont manufacturing plan.
THE SUN/THE DAILY HERALD ■ C 9
VERNON MATTHEWS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Du Pont's soon-to-open plant on the shore of Bay St. Louis
PASS CHRISTIAN — In a few short weeks several mechanical switches will be thrown and Du Pont Company’s new titanium dioxide plant will be transferred from its construction division to production section.
With the start-up Du Pont will have successfully negotiated a number of obstacles that stood in its way toward production. Though some remain ahead of the Wilmington, Del.-based chemical company, production is expected to continue unhindered by lingering legal questions.
Du Pont’s $150 million manufacturing project overlooking the „ nearby Bay of St. Louis represents a classic example of the problems that can confront industry. They are problems which more or less face many manufacturers at any given time. Here on a rolling piney plateau, they came together — economic, environmental and regulatory.
Mississippi Business -
By Mike McCall