At the time the company generally provided higher quality employment regarding terms and conditions and pension rights than other local firms.
ICI Ardeer was its own community; with a bank, a travel agency, and a dentist located on the site to provide services to these employees.
The factory had its own jetty on the River Garnock in Irvine Harbour serving ships that were delivering explosives that had reached their expiration date, or importing raw materials for the works.
In the late 1960s construction began on a nylon and nitric acid plant, but this had a short life, closing down just 12 years later.
The site is now a flourishing energetics (explosives) business employing some 300 people as the Scottish division of Chemring Group, an LSE Public Company.