26-06-2012

Dow grows north east technology presence with R&D facility in suburban Philadelphia

The Dow Chemical Company announced today, an agreement that  will position the nation’s largest specialty chemical and advanced  materials company for future growth by locating its North East USA  Technology Center in Collegeville, Pa.
 
Dow scientists will begin operations next year in a state-of-the-art  research and development facility owned by the pharmaceutical company  Pfizer Inc. Employees at Dow’s Spring House, Pa. campus will begin  moving to the new site as early as the first quarter of 2013. It is  estimated that more than 800 jobs will remain in the county as both  Spring House and Collegeville are cities within Montgomery County.
 
“This premier new location provides Dow’s world-class researchers with a  new collaborative and innovation centric space, enhanced capabilities  and best in class tools to create differentiation for our customers,”  said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer.  “Establishing operations in Collegeville will allow us to remain  competitive in a global market and continue as a major employer in  Montgomery County, and Pennsylvania."
 
With over 750,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, the  facility will also have room to accommodate potential job growth in the  future. After conducting a comprehensive feasibility study, Dow  determined this opportunity as the best option to reach research  objectives.
 
“This strategy bolsters our company’s long-standing commitment to  Pennsylvania by putting our R&D operations on a long-term path forward,”  said Jerome Peribere, executive vice president of The Dow Chemical  Company and president and chief executive officer, Dow Advanced  Materials headquartered in Philadelphia. “We are proud residents of the  Delaware Valley region and look forward to continuing the tradition of  innovation that our company began here more than 40 years ago.”
 
Dow’s Spring House location, acquired via the Company’s Rohm and Haas  acquisition in 2009, has been a center for strategic research and  development since 1963. From this site, the company’s scientists have  invented products ranging from acrylic technology for high-quality latex  paints to water purification products and polymers used in laundry  detergents, shampoo, lotion, and conditioners.