The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Michigan 48674 / USA) is convinced of a bright future for polyethylene. At an international press conference in New York, Romeo Kreinberg, business vice president for PE, predicted an increase in demand worldwide, due to growth in Southeast Asia and Latin America but also to technology developments that will foster new applications in Europe and North America. In 1998 Dow will start up two new PE plants, in eastern Germany (BSL, Schkopau) and at Alberta, Canada. The BSL plant is to go onstream next month. A new plant in Thailand is slated for a 1999 start-up. All the plants will use Dow's metallocene catalyst-based "Insite" technology. Kreinberg said he also is encouraged about progress in commercialising the "Elite" enhanced polyethylene. Since February 1997, four commercial grades have been launched; nine more are in market development.

Led by the polycarbonate "Calibre", Dow's technical thermoplastics are selling well globally. This portfolio grew by 20% in 1997, compared with 6-8% for the world market. Capacities for PC will be boosted to 226,000 t/y when a new plant comes onstream later this year at Freeport, Louisana / USA. Dow apparently is also mulling plans for PC production at Schkopau. Up to 2005 the group hopes 20% of its business in technical thermoplastics will be with the automotive sector.

Dow also wants new European capacities for polystyrene, said Kathleen Bader, business vice president for PS. While declining to reveal a location, she said output would supply eastern Europe. With capacities of 1.7m t/y, Dow is already the largest producer of PS in the Americas and Asia Pacific and number two in Europe behind BASF. By 2006 its capacity is set to rise to 2.6m t/y. The new 40,000 t/y syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS – trade name "Questra") plant at Schkopau is set to go onstream in mid 1999.

For polyurethanes, the US chemicals and plastics giant predicts growth of 5.5-6% over the next several years for a world market volume of 5m t/y. Dow continues to expand its own capacity for PU and starting materials. At the Böhlen site of BSL a 130,000 t/y aniline plant is being started up, and MDI capacity at Stade expanded to 130,000 t/y. This takes worldwide output to more than 200,000 t/y.

See Plasteurope.com 24, 1997 for a report on Dow's PE and PP business.

READER SERVICE: Comprehensive press information (English) on Dow's worldwide strategy for PE, PS and PU: PIE-No. 41874 – Dow report "Guide to New Products and Technologies", December 1997: PIE-No. 41859.