Dow to invest an additional US$125 mln in Thai operation

Dow Chemical Co plans to invest an additional US$125 miln into its Thai operations, strengthening the country's role in transforming the US-based firm from a manufacturer of basic chemicals to a maker of specialty products, as per Bangkok Post. The new investment follows the recent completion of Dow's US$3 bln Thai Growth Project that began in 2006. Two new projects are set to finish construction this year – a US$100 mln propylene glycol (PG) plant with an annual capacity of 150,000 tons and a US$25 mln polyolefin encapsulant film factory to produce materials for solar panels. Last week saw the inauguration of the Thai Growth petrochemical complex at the Asia Industrial Estate in Map Ta Phut. Built with investment partners Siam Cement Group and the Belgium-based Solvay, the complex comprises five downstream plants producing polyethylene, specialty elastomer, hydrogen peroxide and propylene oxide. The investments have made Thailand the largest manufacturing centre for Dow in Asia-Pacific.