Clariant Masterbatches has made a number of announcements recently in its push toward growth. Expanded facilities and new equipment in Belgium, additional extrusion lines in Spain and France, and a modern technology center near Paris add up to commitments totaling more than E10 million for 2007. The Paris Technology Centre will be operational in January 2008, and will provide advanced color and process development capabilities for product designers and plastics processors in one location. The Centre features an advanced three-dimensional computer simulation system and rapid prototyping machines. The company has also announced a new initiative called 360º Service, to provide customers with technical, design and development assistance from the moment a product idea is born until it is perfected, manufactured and launched into the market. Green initiatives are also high on Clariant’s list as it expands. It has developed color masterbatches that are compatible with increasingly popular bio-polymers like polylactic acid (PLA), first using conventional colorants, and this year, with colors that are 100% renewable and made from natural sources.