Dow's UCAR Emulsion Systems Announces New Latex Facility In Louisiana

Cary, NC - UCAR Emulsion Systems (UES), a global business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, recently announced the succesful start-up of its next-generation latex facility at St. Charles Operations (Hahnville, La.). The new facility represents a significant investment in UES by Dow and the Union Carbide Corporation and is the primary portion of the companies' multi-year, $100MM staged investment plan in North American operations announced in early 2004.

"This new facility reflects our commitment to invest in production assets that match customer, community and North American needs for the next 20 years," stated Thayne Hansen, business director, UES. "We are excited about working with our customers to capture the expanded production and process technology benefits imbedded in this new plant. St. Charles operations reflects our continued commitment to latex applications."

The St. Charles Operations latex facility will replace existing latex manufacturing sites in Tucker, Georgia, and Garland, Texas, which are scheduled for closure by Union Carbide Corporation later this year.

Every aspect of the new latex facility's operation, including the process, environmental controls, quality and worker safety, sets a new level of standards for latex plants worldwide. In addition, investments are currently underway at other UES production facilities to increase their long-term manufacturing capacity and capabilities. The new investment in St. Charles Operations is expected to add 30 permanent jobs.

SOURCE: Dow UCAR Emulsion Systems