Dow continues to advance incremental, high-return capacity expansions aligned to fast growing end-markets

New silicones, propylene glycol and specialty materials capacity to meet growing demand for sustainable solutions in mobility, building & infrastructure, consumer & electronics, home & personal care, food, pharmaceutical and flavor & fragrance markets

News provided by

The Dow Chemical Company

Jul 01, 2021, 08:00 ET

MIDLAND, Mich., July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dow (NYSE: DOW) today announced a series of incremental, high-return capacity expansions to support growing demand across key end-markets, all of which value sustainable solutions and continue to grow faster than GDP.

In Dow's Consumer Solutions business, several key growth projects are planned to come online globally throughout 2021 and will increase capacity of:

Silicone elastomers and thermally conductive materials – meeting growing demand for vehicles that are lighter, safer, and have a lower carbon footprint;
Silicone polymers and sealants – supporting greater design flexibility and enabling safe, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing architectures;
Silicone engineered materials and pressure sensitive adhesives – improving reliability and efficiency in consumer & electronics markets; and
CatHEC (cationic hydroxyethylcellulose) polymers and PEGs (polyethylene glycols) – addressing a variety of home and personal care applications.

These expansions build on Dow's previous investments in its Consumer Solutions business, including more than 20 key debottleneck, efficiency improvement and growth capital projects throughout 2019 and 2020.

"Dow is committed to investing in differentiated silicone and specialty materials assets to drive innovation and grow with our customers globally," said Mauro Gregorio, president, Dow Performance Materials & Coatings. "There is growing demand for high-performance materials that enable sustainable solutions, and we look forward to further collaboration with our industry partners and customers following these expansions."

In Dow's Polyurethanes & Construction Chemicals business, the Company plans to increase propylene glycol (PG) capacity at its existing facility in Map Ta Phut, Thailand by 80,000 tons per year – bringing total capacity to 250,000 tons per year. Once complete this will make the Dow Map Ta Phut PG facility the largest of its kind in Asia Pacific. The capacity will support customer growth across Asia Pacific and India and is expected to come online in 2024.

Dow's leading propylene glycol franchise upgrades basic chemical building blocks to produce high-quality ingredients for cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals and many other products for everyday use.

"This increased propylene glycol capacity optimizes our existing asset infrastructure to enable continued growth in high-value applications and positions us to better serve our customers in fast-growing markets," said Jane Palmieri, president, Dow Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure.

Dow also recently announced plans to build an integrated MDI distillation and prepolymers facility in Freeport, Texas. This investment supports increasing demand for downstream polyurethane systems products and advances Dow's leading positions in attractive applications in construction, consumer, and industrial markets.

These investment plans fall within the Company's previously committed capital expenditure targets.

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $39 billion in 2020. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.

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SOURCE The Dow Chemical Company