Dow's Technology and Market Development Center in Brazil, manufacturing of flexible foams

Dow’s Technology and Market Development Center in Brazil

30-Nov-10

Dow Brazil has announced a Technology and Market Development Center for Polyurethanes and Formulated Systems in the city of Jundiai, countryside of Sao Paulo. With investments of US$2 mln and official opening is scheduled for January 2011, the lab extends over a 1,200 sq mtr area and will provide a number of services, including chemical and physical chemical analyses; equipment to simulate production of a wide range of PU applications; characterization of physical properties and preparation of samples to customers. "The new Technology Center will be focused on the development of customized polyurethane solutions and formulations for our customers. In addition to state-of-the-art machinery, the center will count on a technical team of skilled professionals engaged in market and technological trends," states Marco Fay, director of Formulated Systems for Dow Brazil. "It is important to highlight that the center will be able to simulate the production of foams, a process to be followed up by Dow's customers with a view to expediting the development of new solutions," Fay adds. Dow has Technology Centers for Polyurethanes and Formulated Systems in other geographies, such as the United States, Europe and Asia. The integration of these centers will be a major distinguishing feature since it allows Dow to promptly access new technologies and trends and make them available in the market. Such global alignment, coupled with the vast knowledge of Dow's customers and technical team, will be the major driving force for the development of innovative solutions for the Brazilian and Latin American markets. The new lab will utilize all knowledge acquired in the Company's global Technology Centers, which is what provides the facility the title of one of the most modern and well-equipped Latin American labs. "The meeting of our customers' needs was the main reason that led us to create and develop our lab," concludes Marcelo Fiszner, leader of Research & Development of Performance Products for Dow Latin America. Some of the distinguishing features offered by the Technology and Market Development Center are: - preparing of prepolymers; - formulation line for the manufacturing of flexible foams; - development and preparing of prototypes; - assessment and characterization of physical properties.