Dow expands silicones, propylene glycol and specialty materials capacity to meet growing demand

Midland, MI – Dow 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.