Dow Formulated Systems, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has expanded its innovation capabilities at its Birch Vale facility in the United Kingdom, with a new state-of-the-art technical center to enable growth in engineering elastomers and other specialty polyurethane systems markets. The new application development and customer service center provides customers with the ability to rapidly test and scale up new products that utilize Dow technology.
"Our new application development center further enhances Dow's customer service across Europe," said Paul Fitzgerald, marketing manager, engineering elastomers. "We are committed to providing customers with fast solutions, and our new technical service and demonstration center allows us to do this by offering customers the benefit of trialing products without putting their production on hold."
This expansion follows other recent investments in innovation capabilities that support Dow's commitment to providing solutions to customers：
In November 2011, the business inaugurated a new polyurethanes R&D center at its systems house in Correggio, Italy. The center will strengthen Dow's service to customers in Italy as well as all of Europe. The facility serves as a global R&D center for polyurethane foams and composites for Dow's formulated systems, polyurethanes, and automotive businesses, as well as a lab for the local technical and commercial organization for the Italian systems house, employing about 70 people.
In July 2011, Dow and Saip Equipment inaugurated "ce|de|pa" (Continuous Panel Development Center), a state-of-the-art facility and industrial scale line conceived to accelerate the innovation of polyurethane-based panels made with the double-lamination process for thermal insulation in building and construction. The center, located in Tudela (Navarra, Spain), is devoted to testing and prototyping activities and is meant to serve Dow and Saip customers around the world, in addition to external R&D and technology centers, universities, quality certification organizations, and other external players interested in innovation and sustainability.
"These expansions illustrate Dow's continued commitment to investing in the delivery of innovative solutions for our customers," said Jon Penrice, global general manager, Dow Formulated Systems. "The needs of this industry are constantly changing, and to help our customers succeed, Dow continues to invest to offer our customers innovative and differentiated solutions."
