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Two Plants In County MORT C McHenry County, the site of various important industries, has also become a major focal point in the booming chemical field. Two towns, Woodstock and Ringwood, are deeply involved in the research and production of agricultural chemical products as well as many other projects and products. In Woodstock. Morton International, Inc., maintains its Research Center, the headquarters for scientists who delve into chemical mysteries, product development and testing for Morton's seven diversified product-producing divisions. The Research Center stands on a slight rise about one mile southeast of Woodstock. Completed in 1954 as the laboratory for Morton Salt Company, now one of the seven divisions, it made an immediate impact on area businessmen. - Well-known rose growers, just down the road, asked to use a miscroscope to diagnose a problem they were having with their roses. A representative of a Woodstock mineralized cattlefeeder operation stopped to discuss trace mineralized feeding with experts on the topic. Today, trace mineralized salt is an ever-expanding part of Morton's business. The use of salt for road stabilization, then a new idea, was the topic of inquiry for a manufacturer's agent of road building equipment. He came from Elgin. At first the center specialized in researching the many unknowns about salt and in the creative development of its known uses. Shortly after it opened, the company relocated the research staff of the Ringwood Chemical Corporation to the new Research Center in Woodstock. Morton had purchased controlling interest in the Ringwood operation in 1951 and was in the organic chemical business. The Simoniz Company, recently acquired by Morton, now has its research staff at the Woodstock facility, too. Morton Quality Products, a recently formed division, also conducts research at the center. The firm is a producer of condiments, sauces and seasonings which are packaged as individual servings for volume feeding operations such as restaurants, drive-ins, schools and hospitals. The Woodstock facility also is involved with Morton's other divisions, Imperial Thermal Products, Morton Industries of Canada and Morton International Limited. The center is located on 22 acres of landscaped property. In addition, the company holds 31 acres in reserve. Perhaps the most significant indication of Morton International's growth is the recent announcement of the Research Center's expansion. Plans call for present floor space to be enlarged by more than one and one-half times. The new facilities will be of the same design as the existing brick structure. They will include an expansion of the library and the cafeteria, a new Morton Chemical Company Technical Service wing, a Simoniz research wing, a special pilot'process and equipment laboratory, expansion of the heating and air-conditioning systems with special temperature and humidity A chemical operator at Morton's Ringwood plant carefully watches a semi-automatic filling and weighing device as polyethylene-lined fiber drums are filled with a polymer emulsion. This chemical product will eventually be used in household floor polishes and liquid detergents. controls in several rooms, additional parking and attractive landscaping. ^ Scheduled for completion in 1968, the enlarged center will then begin a five-to-ten-year program which is expected to increase the number of its employees from approximately 140 to about 260. The majority of these people will be highly educated and technically trained in scientific fields. Tonyan Construction Company, Inc., McHenry, has been named the general contractor for the expansion. Mechanical contractors for various aspects of the construction also have been announced. Dr. Robert L. Frank, director of the center, when asked what he considered important to effective research, replied, "After proper and adequate equipment, I'd say people are most important. Beyond that, what af- LIf, The greenhouse at Morton Research Center serves researchers in various ways. Here, in a growing atmosphere, young tomato and bean plants are used for pesticide screening; experimental research which looks for chemicals to protect plants against attack by various pests. Morton is deeply involved in producing agricultural chemicals to aid in crop protection and growth. fects those people is one of the most important factors. This includes how and where they live, and I'm happy to say McHenry County offers Morton people some of the finest living and recreational facilities." Switching from research to manufacturing takes us from Woodstock to Ringwood, about eight miles distant. Since Morton acquired the Ringwood Chemical Corporation, it has formed the Morton Chemical Company which now consists of six plants. The plant at Ringwood produces a greater variety of chemicals than any of the other fite. These chemicals find their way into such diversified products as agricultural seed treatments, soil fumigants, grain and storage-space fumigants, pesticides, floor polishes and waxes, packaging materials, detergents and cleaning aids, photographic ehem - icals, paints, dyes, foods, pharmaceuticals, electronic equipment and hundreds of other modern and useful products. Some of the well-known manufacturers that use Morton Chemical products made at Ringwood are General Electric, Controls Corporation, Texas Instruments and Charles Bruning Company. In the field of agricultural cheTWcaU^the company has a concept of capturing a market by providing not only the precise chemical product for the job, but equipment for application, consumer education and technical service. This, the firm claims, is partl> the reason for its success with agricultural chemicals. Even greater strides are expected as research and modern technology come up with new 'and improved products. The plant at Ringwood is Morton' largest producer of these chemicals. I he plant actually began as a dairy. Ringwood Chemical Corporation, then Edwal Laboratories, purchased the property in 1941 and Morton Salt Company acquired it 10 years later. Puring that time, and since, the physical plant has been changed to meet manufacturing needs. Land was acquired on the fringes of town, and the 25 acres now owned include part of the old Ringwood nursery. Many plant personnel come from the Fox River area nearby. Presently the chemical plant employs about 100 people, two-thirds of whom are McHenry County residents. According to Morton spokesmen, the future looks bright. Modern research facilities combined with up-todate manufacturing techniques, each using the best people for the many jobs involved, point to a bright future for both Morton and the McHenry communities involved.