New Plant in Thailand Expands Dow’s Polyol Capacity for Rigid Polyurethane

Tuesday 13 November 2018 12:28
New facility delivers key raw material for energy efficiency solutions to better support Asia Pacific customers and further drive sustainability trends

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) today announced the opening of a new world-class polyol plant for rigid polyurethane foam in Rayong, Thailand. The facility increases the Company's capacity to offer high-quality insulation materials and solutions with reliable, energy-efficient performance that customers and the society can benefit from.

"This announcement demonstrates Dow's commitment to our ongoing investment in Polyurethanes in order to bring to our customers a reliable supply of innovative solutions aligned to global trends such as population growth and energy efficiency," said Jane Palmieri, business president, Dow Polyurethanes. "The Rayong facility is an important addition to Dow's global polyurethanes manufacturing network, further enabling us to deliver industry-leading products that help customers minimize their environmental footprint, while creating lasting social, environmental and economic benefits throughout the entire product life cycle."

From keeping food fresher more efficiently to preventing home energy loss, polyol is a key raw material for rigid polyurethane foam solutions to improve energy efficiency in a wide variety of construction, professional cold chain and appliance applications. Dow's high-performing polyols enable novel energy efficiency solutions, which help customers to meet stringent, country-specific regulations and embrace global sustainability trends.

"We are living in an era when innovative and effective solutions are needed to address imperative sustainability challenges, including energy consumption and climate change," said Christina Yu, commercial director Asia Pacific, Dow Polyurethanes. "This is particularly important in Asia Pacific where significant population growth and increasing energy consumption is translating to higher demand for energy efficiency solutions, which Dow is best positioned to deliver as the world's leading material science company."

Approximately 150 guests from customers and partners joined Dow leaders to attend a dedication ceremony on November 8. This new polyol plant strengthens Dow's upstream plant integration in Thailand and further expands Dow's presence in Asia Pacific, following the recent opening of new polyurethane systems houses in Lote Parshuram, India and Zhangjiagang, China.

"This new plant further solidifies Dow's key manufacturing base in Thailand and is an important milestone in our expansion in Asia Pacific, demonstrating our long-term commitment to the country and the region," said Chatchai Luanpolcharoenchai, president of Dow Thailand. "With this boost in capacity and our advanced technologies, we are better positioned to meet increasingly sophisticated customer demands."

The new polyol plant has a designed annual capacity of 79,000 tons and is located at the Asia Industrial Estate (AIE) site in Rayong province. Home to six Dow manufacturing plants, the AIE site covers 515 hectares and adheres to the most advanced environmental, health and safety standards in its operations and management, utilizing bleeding-edge technologies to minimize its overall environmental footprint.

About Dow Polyurethanes

Dow Polyurethanes develops and delivers a broad portfolio of technologies and customized solutions to customers in a variety of industries under its DurableScience, ComfortScience, and InsulationScience category brands. Applications range from industrial and infrastructure solutions, to consumer comfort solutions in flooring, furniture, bedding and footwear, to automotive solutions for interior and exterior, to and energy-efficient insulation materials. The business manufactures and sells key chemical components, as well as fully-formulated polyurethane systems for rigid, semi-rigid, and flexible foams, and coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, and composites. Dow is the world's largest producer of propylene oxide (PO), propylene glycol (PG), and polyether polyols, and is a leading producer of quality aromatic isocyanates, such as MDI. Striving to meet the specific needs of its customers in local geographic regions, Dow Polyurethanes operates a global network of production sites and systems houses, as well as innovation and service centers. The business has an ongoing initiative to lead the industry in providing high-performance products that meet critical market needs and contribute to a more comfortable, healthier, and resilient society. For more information, visit www.dowpolyurethanes.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Dow

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) combines science and technology knowledge to develop premier materials science solutions that are essential to human progress. Dow has one of the strongest and broadest toolkits in the industry, with robust technology, asset integration, scale and competitive capabilities that enable it to address complex global issues. Dow's market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates, and plastics businesses deliver a broad range of differentiated technology-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care. Dow is a subsidiary of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), a holding company comprised of Dow and DuPont with the intent to form three strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty sectors. More information can be found at www.dow.com.