Dow Corning Corporation has acquired two chemical grade silicon manufacturing assets from Globe Specialty Metals, in an acquisition valued at approximately $175 million (USD).
Dow Corning purchased 100 percent of Globe Metais Indústria e Comércio S.A., a silicon metal manufacturer in Pará, Brazil, which will immediately begin operating as Dow Corning Metais do Pará Ltda.
Dow Corning has also acquired a 49 percent interest in Globe Metallurgical Inc.'s silicon manufacturing operation in Alloy, West Virginia (U.S.A.), WVA Manufacturing LLC. The operation will continue to operate as WVA Manufacturing LLC.
Dow Corning, a global leader in silicone-based materials, relies on chemical grade silicon as an essential raw material to manufacture nearly all of its more than 7,000 products.
"These acquisitions offer Dow Corning an even more efficient and stable supply of silicon metal," said Robert Hansen, Dow Corning's executive vice president and general manager of Core Products. "This is yet another step to position ourselves to better serve our customers' needs."
Silicones are important building blocks for products in the construction, personal care, life sciences, energy, automotive and electronics industries, among others.