A special kind of chemistry
Wilton International
What do shampoo, brake fluid and plastic bottles all have in common? They are all made from chemicals produced at Wilton International.
Teesside is home to the largest cluster of chemical industry in the UK. Much of this activity is based a Wilton International - a vast complex which hosts manufacturing and research divisions of a number of world class companies.
The Wilton site was created over 50 years ago by ICI. Although ICI still have a presence at Wilton, they have sold off parts of the site to other chemical companies including DuPont, Huntsman and BPAmoco.
Many products we use every day and take for granted are produced at Wilton - e.g. DuPontSA manufactures plastics for drinks bottles and coated cardboard food containers, Uniqema produces ingredients for soaps and shampoos and Dow Chemicals make brake fluids!
Around 8000 people are employed at Wilton - some are involved in manufacturing and others in research and development.
Submitted by: Sarah McLusky, 14 April 2003
