Area Development
Catacel Corporation, a high-performance catalyst manufacturer, recently opened its Ravenna, Ohio-based plant and technology center. The company said its newly designed expansive facilities allow Catacel to increase manufacturing capacity while continuing to innovate within its field.

"Advanced technology companies across the state are hard at work solving tough energy and environmental problems," Bill Hagstrand, NorTech's Director of Cluster Acceleration. "Catacel, with its cutting-edge technology and product base in advanced energy and hydrogen production, is becoming a significant contributor to the global advanced energy industry."

The company's annual growth rate has exceeded 50% over the past three years, the company said. "In the past year, Catacel has been adding equipment and employees to keep up with customer demand," said Catacel CEO J. Gary McDaniel. He added the new plant will enable the company to grow "tenfold and beyond" in coming years.

"The facility not only reflects our growth, but ensures we can make things happen quickly for our global customer base, adapting and evolving our work as the need and opportunity arises. The expansion of a technology center gives the company the ability to bolster its roster of patents and its intellectual property base. This state-of-the-art facility positions the company to be at the forefront of solving the world's energy and emission problems," McDaniel said.

Catacel's products reduce the fuel used in a wide range of high-temperature chemical reactions, enabling these energy-intensive reactions to occur much more economically. Additionally, the company's technology helps make existing equipment more efficient, and enables new systems to be smaller and more cost-effective.

"Our customers—who come primarily from the fuel cell, petro-energy, and industrial gas industries—are able to save significant money while boosting their production," says Catacel Director of Sales Don Lensner.