The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Michigan, USA) announced the opening of a new world-class polyol plant for rigid polyurethane foam in Rayong, Thailand. According to the company, the facility increases its capacity to offer insulation materials and solutions with reliable performance.
“This announcement demonstrates Dow’s commitment to our ongoing investment in polyurethanes to bring to our customers a reliable supply of solutions aligned to global trends such as population growth and energy efficiency,” says Jane Palmieri, president for Dow’s polyurethanes business. “The Rayong facility is an important addition to Dow’s global polyurethanes manufacturing network, further enabling us to deliver products that help customers minimize their environmental footprint.”
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. The polyols enable novel solutions, the company explains, 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,” says Christina Yu, Asia-Pacific commercial director for the company’s polyurethanes segment. “This is particularly important in Asia Pacific, where significant population growth and increasing energy consumption is translating to higher demand for energy efficiency solutions.”
Approximately 150 guests from customers and partners joined Dow leaders to attend a dedication ceremony on November 8, 2018. According to the company, the new polyol plant strengthens its upstream plant integration in Thailand and further expands its 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,” says 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 ha (5.15 km2) and adheres to all environmental, health, and safety standards in its operations and management through the use of cutting-edge technologies.
Source: Dow Chemical, www.dow.com.