Dow Corning says it will significantly increase the number of products sold via Xiameter, its online sales hub that offers standard silicones products but no technical support. The expanded site will carry about 2,100 of the 7,000 products that Dow Corning offers, up from about 400. Dow Corning will also reduce the volume amount required to use Xiameter for some products and give customers the capability to purchase from distributors. The company says that the new products and features will be available this summer.
Dow Corning says the move will allow it to redeploy more R&D and commercial resources to initiatives concerning “global mega-trends, such as the drive for efficiency, increased focus on alternative energy and clean water, and the rapid urbanization in fast-growing emerging geographies.”
“As the global marketplace experiences significant changes, the needs of our customers are also changing markedly,” says Dow Corning chairman and CEO Stephanie Burns. Xiameter will help companies who want price and supply stability and are looking to manage costs through efficiencies in
purchasing, the company says.
More than 50% of Dow Corning’s innovation portfolio and R&D efforts will target projects linked to sustainability, Burns says.
A significant area of focus will be solar power to help the solar industry move
toward being economically competitive with conventional energy sources, Dow Corning says. The company says it will also focus on innovations for the construction, electronics, and personal care markets.
—NANCY SEEWALD AND ROBERT WESTERVELT
Not Experts.
LyondellBasell says it has begun modifying its Channelview, TX methyl tert-butyl ether capacity to enable it to add production of bio-based ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) to the site. The company declined to disclose the project’s expected capacity and cost.
The project includes pipeline connections and site modifications, as well as storage contracts for both feedstock ethanol and ETBE at third-party terminals on the Houston Ship Channel. ETBE production is expected to begin in the fourth quarter.
Lyondellbasell says it will use sugar cane-based ethanol from Brazil as raw material for the ETBE. Output is aimed at Japanese refineries, which need to meet clean-burn-ing fuel requirements as part of Japan’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction obligations, Lyondellbasell says.
LyondellBasell already produces bio-based ETBE at Fos-sur-Mer, France and Botlek, the Netherlands.
—REBECCA COONS
Your Specialist for Hazardous Reactions.
www.dottikon.com
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