OKLAHOMA CITY - Tronox Incorporated announced that the Tiwest synthetic rutile plant in Chandala, Western Australia, restarted production, and its daily production has returned to pre-shutdown levels.

Tiwest, a 50/50 joint venture between Tronox and Ticor Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of Kumba Resources Limited, is one of the world's largest fully integrated, from mining to finished product, titanium dioxide projects. The Chandala facility, which provides feedstock to several of Tronox's titanium dioxide pigment plants, was temporarily shut down in July.

Following strong manufacturing performance in July and August, Tronox's Savannah, Ga., titanium dioxide pigment plant was impacted by a disruption of nitrogen supply from a third-party supplier that resulted in decreased production during September. The third-party supplier resumed the supply of nitrogen, and the pigment plant currently is ramping up to full production.