May 20 2010
Dow Water & Process Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, today announced that the company plans to expand its Fombio, Italy facility to manufacture uniform particle size (UPS) copolymers used in the company’s ion exchange resins.
The new capacity will make use of industry-leading manufacturing technology from both Dow and Rohm and Haas for production of the highest quality UPS copolymer available in the industry today. Producing UPS gel copolymer for the first time in Europe is the latest step in the transformation of Dow’s ion exchange asset grid to a more streamlined, competitive configuration. The world’s leading brands for ion exchange resins, DOWEX™ and AMBERJET™ include a broad line of products for water purification, healthcare, food and industrial processes.
"Currently, we manufacture UPS gel copolymer in the U.S. and ship to major markets in France, China, and Japan," said Ian Barbour, General Manager, Dow Water & Process Solutions. "Creating an advanced manufacturing presence for copolymers in Europe allows us to provide higher-quality product more quickly and at a reduced transportation cost."
The acquisition of Rohm and Haas’ ion exchange businesses in April 2009 has allowed Dow to develop a UPS manufacturing technology based on the best practices of both Dow and Rohm and Haas. The Fombio manufacturing facility is certified to the ISO 9001 standard for quality systems and the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management, further improving Dow’s ability to consistently produce quality copolymer while minimizing environment impacts associated with the manufacturing process.
“We have always been committed to providing customers with the ultimate combination of performance, reliability and efficiency in our products,” said Tom Bass, Business Operations Leader, Dow Water and Process Solutions. “By increasing the efficiency of our manufacturing process, Dow is also reducing inter-regional freight and having a positive impact on our carbon footprint.”
Copolymer manufacturing at Fombio is expected to begin in the second half of 2010.