Center of Excellence to Better Serve Immediate Customer Needs and Help to Facilitate Future Growth of the Packaging Industry Across Europe, the Middle East and Africa
HORGEN, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) said today it is continuing to invest in a “Packaging Center of Excellence” in Horgen, Switzerland to better serve the needs of the packaging industry across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Dow is doubling the staff of its packaging center to a total of approximately 20-25 people, and significantly expanding its capabilities for testing and prototyping adhesive laminating and film structures for food and beverage packaging needs.
“Our converters play an essential role in the future of the packaging industry”
The packaging center combines the extensive scientific and technical expertise of Dow’s people, along with equipment and collaboration space for specialty adhesives, resins and formulated films in one place. It will also enhance customers’ ability to test materials and formulations for new package functionality and design. The Center also will hold seminars and forums that will allow package makers and brand owners and others to occasionally share insights about the future needs of the packaging industry.
The Horgen center is also fully linked to Dow’s other packaging centers of excellence around the world, including the Sensory Science facility in The Netherlands, and Films Application Development Centers in Tarragona, Spain; Freeport, Texas; Singapore, and Jundiai, Brazil.
“This is the next step in a journey all of us in the packaging industry must take,” said Anton van Beek, regional General Manager for Packaging and Converting for Dow in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “The global population continues to grow, while the amount of arable land for food production remains essentially unchanged. There is an increasing need to bring more of the food we harvest to the global dinner table – more efficiently and with a lighter environmental footprint along the way. Smarter packaging design and better packaging materials are just one important way to reduce wastage and improve the success of the food supply.”
Dow will continue to provide expert technical applications support for its existing product lines. Horgen will remain a place where customers can check and adjust formulations to get the best results on their own package machinery. “Our converters play an essential role in the future of the packaging industry,” said Julien Damen, Associate Director for Technical Services and Development for Packaging and Converting in Europe. “That won’t change. They continue to be in the best position to create the physical packages that reflect the best new materials innovations.
“However, the needs around the world are so great, and the need for better packaging so important, that Dow wants to provide opportunities for all those involved in the value chain to be able to share knowledge, identify trends, work together and – by doing so – accelerate the growth of the packaging industry. We believe collaboration is an important element to future success of us all.”
Dow will be sharing additional details of the Packaging Center for Excellence with customers across the European Region throughout the summer.
About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow (NYSE:DOW) combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7 billion and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
®TM Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
