DOW PLASTICS
Capacity expansions in progress / E-commerce and new automotive unit / Growth with PUR
Dow Chemical (European HQ: Bachtobelstr. 3, CH-8810 Horgen) is not sitting idly by while waiting for regulatory approval of its USD 11.6bn takeover of Union Carbide (UCC). At Dow Plastics´ annual press conference in New York, group vice president Anthony J. Carbone said Dow has no shortage of projects, which it is continuously implementing. Additionally, he said, some 50 new projects were proposed at a recent meeting of the executive board, including new applications for the “Insite” metallocene catalyst technology, for the most part for reinforcing polypropylene.
Dick Sosville, Dow vice president for engineering plastics, confirmed to PIE´s sister publication “Kunststoff Information” (KI) that the group plans to build a 9,000 t/y plant for DVD starting material polycyclic hexylethylene (PCHE) at the Schkopau site of the Buna Sow Leuna (BSL) complex in eastern Germany. Most of the EUR 2.4bn restructurisation programme at BSL´s three sites is due for completion by mid 2000. The polyurethanes business group plans to increase output of polyols at Terneuzen in the Netherlands by 90,000 t/y to 325,000 t/y by November. Capacity for MDI at Delfijzl, the Netherlands, is being expanded by 60% and output will be lifted at Estarreja, Portugal by 15,000 t/y to 90,000 t/y.
As part of an internal reorganisation scheme, the group has set up a new unit to serve the automobile industry. Dow Automotive (26200 American Drive, Suite 100, Southfield, Michigan 48034-6187/USA) will focus on the customer, rather than on individual materials. E-commerce also looms large in Dow´s plans. One of the first companies to launch its own website, Carbone said Dow´s data management software lets it create a “comprehensive organisational memory of each customer´s interaction with the company,” enabling it to “better understand and serve customers globally.”
Meanwhile, the European Commission has launched a full investigation into the Dow-UCC merger plans. The Commission said it is concerned about the new company´s potential share of the C6 and C8 PE resins markets as well as the market-controlling potential of a combined “Univation” (UCC) and Dow metallocene catalyst technology.
Dick Sosville, Dow vice president for engineering plastics, confirmed to PIE´s sister publication “Kunststoff Information” (KI) that the group plans to build a 9,000 t/y plant for DVD starting material polycyclic hexylethylene (PCHE) at the Schkopau site of the Buna Sow Leuna (BSL) complex in eastern Germany. Most of the EUR 2.4bn restructurisation programme at BSL´s three sites is due for completion by mid 2000. The polyurethanes business group plans to increase output of polyols at Terneuzen in the Netherlands by 90,000 t/y to 325,000 t/y by November. Capacity for MDI at Delfijzl, the Netherlands, is being expanded by 60% and output will be lifted at Estarreja, Portugal by 15,000 t/y to 90,000 t/y.
As part of an internal reorganisation scheme, the group has set up a new unit to serve the automobile industry. Dow Automotive (26200 American Drive, Suite 100, Southfield, Michigan 48034-6187/USA) will focus on the customer, rather than on individual materials. E-commerce also looms large in Dow´s plans. One of the first companies to launch its own website, Carbone said Dow´s data management software lets it create a “comprehensive organisational memory of each customer´s interaction with the company,” enabling it to “better understand and serve customers globally.”
Meanwhile, the European Commission has launched a full investigation into the Dow-UCC merger plans. The Commission said it is concerned about the new company´s potential share of the C6 and C8 PE resins markets as well as the market-controlling potential of a combined “Univation” (UCC) and Dow metallocene catalyst technology.
15.01.2000 Plasteurope.com [17609]
Published on 15.01.2000