Dow Corning, Wacker on track with Asian JV plan

By Patrick Raleigh, ERJ On-line news editor

Midland, Michigan-Dow Corning Corp. and Wacker-Chemie GmbH remain on-track with their previously announced plans to establish a joint venture somewhere in Asia, according to representatives of both companies.

Dow and Wacker are now “in the final stages of negotiation” about the plan, and these talks could be completed quite soon, a Dow Corning spokeswoman said in a 13 Sept telephone interview, “Negotiations are at an advanced stage,” a Wacker spokesman concurred in a seperate interview.

In May 2003, Midland-based Dow Corning and Wacker-Chemie GmbH of Munich, Germany, unveiled plans to set up a joint venture to operate a fully integrated silicone intermediates and silica site in Asia.

Under the plan, Wacker and Dow Corning would develop and operate their own manufacturing facilities for finished products at the same site. They would also continue to compete and operate independently in markets both inside and outside of Asia, the companies said.

Dow Corning-a 50:50 joint venture between Dow Chemical Co. and Corning-is the world's largest silicones producer, while Wacker is the No 3 player in the sector, behind GE Silicones.