Dow Corning invests approximately US$1.8 billion in their Zhangjiagang site in China. Dow Corning executives announced the investment during the site’s 10th year anniversary.
The Zhangjiagang site is China’s largest facility of its kind and among the world’s biggest and most advanced integrated silicone production sites.
The site mainly produces siloxane as well as a number of downstream silicone products such as sealant, silicone rubber and silicone fluid. The capacity for siloxane is 190,000 metric tons per year. Through the Zhangjiagang production complex, Dow Corning is serving growing customer demand for silicone materials in China and throughout Asia.
Mr. Huang Xueyuan, Zhangjiagang Vice Mayor joined the anniversary ceremony and expressed high recognition of the site’s long-term contribution.
“China has been and will continue to be one of the priority markets for Dow Corning’s business and an engine for our future growth”, said Jeroen Bloemhard, President of Dow Corning Greater China, “Today, our products are contributing to nearly all major industries of the Chinese economy, including automotive, construction, electronics, healthcare, beauty care, to just name a few. The Zhangjiagang site contributes significantly to our ability to support both Chinese and multinational companies in these markets, and is a visible symbol of our commitment to the China market.”
Furthermore, Dow Corning is highly aware of the responsibility to preserve the environment for today and for future generations. The Zhangjiagang site has strictly adopted a five-level hierarchy of waste management, namely elimination, reduction, reuse, recycling and disposal, to minimize the environmental impact of its operation on the community.
It is also the very first facility within Dow Corning to deploy an on-site spent sulfuric acid recovery process to purify and concentrate acid for reuse in the original process, thus significantly reducing effluents and energy consumption as well as the need for road transportation.