Technology breakthrough to increase Dow’s polyolefin elastomers capacity at Freeport and Tarragona

12-Aug-10

Dow Chemical Co. announced Tuesday a technology breakthrough project that will increase polyolefin elastomers manufacturing capacity at its production facilities in Freeport, Texas, (USA) and Tarragona, Spain. The capacity expansions, in conjunction with SCG-Dow Group's new world scale specialty elastomers plant in Thailand, which is currently under construction, will result in a net increase of 550 mln lbs, bringing Dow's dedicated global capacity for polyolefin elastomers to nearly 2 bln lbs. "Dow has been the leader in polyolefin elastomers and plastomers from the very beginning, and we are committed to holding that position," commented Luis Cirihal, Dow Elastomers global business director. "With over 1.5 billion pounds of capacity dedicated to producing AFFINITY, ENGAGE, VERSIFY, and INFUSE Polyolefin Plastomers and Elastomers, Dow is well positioned to utilize this technology breakthrough debottleneck project to take full advantage of current and future growth. We will also continue to invest and add to our strong position in metallocene EPDM with our NORDEL IP product line." This capacity expansion is a strategic investment to meet the growing needs of customers worldwide while maintaining Dow's cost competitive position. Dow sees increasing strong global demand for polyolefin plastomers and elastomers. Cirihal commented, "By improving our manufacturing operations and investing in technology, along with the added capacity at the new Thailand plant, we will be poised to meet this growing demand and support our customers globally."