Dow to expand Chinese latex plant

By Patrick Raleigh ERJ On-line news editor

Hong Kong-Dow Latex, part of Dow Chemical Co., is to add a second styrene-butadiene latex train at its production site in Zhangjiagang, China, by the second half of 2005. The expansion is to meet growing demand from the Chinese paper coating industry, said a Dow statement, which did not include capacity details for the facility.

Inaugurated in November 2002, the Zhangjiagang latex plant is the newest of Dow's 19 latex facilities worldwide. The plan to expand it “demonstrates our commitment to China and to … its rapidly growing coated paper industry,” said Brett Simpson, newly appointed Pacific commercial director for Dow Latex.

“We are committed to sharing our expertise in coated paper with our customers and to aid in the transfer of technology to the China paper industry," added Simpson, who is relocating to Shanghai.

China's paper coating industry has grown rapidly over the last 10 years, but the country remains a large net importer of coated paper, according to Dow