The new capacity will be available to customers by mid 2011 according to Pepe Carnevale, Business Director at Dow Formulated Systems.

Dow's AIRSTONE™ Systems for wind energy comprise a variety of epoxy products (including systems for infusion, hand wet lay-up, tooling and adhesives) for use in the manufacture of wind turbine blades.

"Our customers will benefit from this investment that confirms the company’s continued commitment to our wind energy business globally," he says. "Recent news from Dow highlights our strategy of becoming the supplier of choice of the most capable and fastest growing players in this industry."

Dow Formulated Systems recently started supplying AIRSTONE products to wind industry customers in China from its new facility in Tianjin. It also produces products for wind energy customers at the company’s manufacturing plant in Wuhan.

“Particularly in China and the Asia Pacific region, this capacity expansion helps us to further enhance our ability to be closer to our customers with local production,” remarked Kenneth Chan, Asia Pacific Commercial Manager for the Alternative Energy & Composites business of Dow Formulated Systems. "We strive to continuously enhance our service level to our customers, and this capacity expansion goes along with our broaden product offering allowed by our knowledge, capability and investments in R&D.".

The company will consider further capacity expansion in other products and geographies at a later stage.

Dow Formulated Systems, a global business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, develops and formulates polyurethane and epoxy systems.