Terneuzen, Benelux – Maschem B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Musim Mas Group, is to develop a state-of-the-art Ethoxylation Facility at the site of Dow Benelux B.V. in Terneuzen. The Ethoxylation Facility is scheduled to be in production in early 2015.
The state-of-the-art facility will produce surface active agents or more commonly known as Surfactants based on alcohols, oils, Esters , fatty acids and amines. The Surfactants produced are used as raw materials in personal care products and detergents.
The collaboration will see Maschem B.V. operating the Ethoxylation Facility and Dow Benelux B.V. supplying key raw material and site services to the former. Both parties are confident and optimistic in establishing a long-term and reliable partnership.
This Project will add to the vibrancy of the Terneuzen region. Besides creating direct and indirect employment opportunities to the region, the Project will also encourage higher throughputs via regional ports, railways and roads. Substantial economic spin-off to the region will also be achieved via the sourcing of local materials, equipment as well as support services for the Ethoxylation Facility.
This Project is Musim Mas Group’s inaugural investment in the Netherlands. Nonetheless, it has been doing business with the Netherlands for the past three decades. With its existing established marketing network, Musim Mas Group is committed to further develop Terneuzen into its business activity hub in the ARA region.
Statement of Musim Mas Group Chairman
This Project is in line with Musim Mas Group.s investment criteria of integration and synergy. The investment is an opportunity for the Group to add further value downstream in the production of Surfactants in order to better service our customers. By establishing our Ethoxylation Facility at Dow.s Terneuzen site, we will gain better access to one of Europe.s largest industrial areas. We hope that the success of this Project will act as the catalyst for more future investments by Musim Mas Group into Europe.
Statement of Dow Benelux B.V. Chairman
The investment and collaboration with Musim Mas is another example of how Dow Benelux can enable growth in the region in various ways,” said Willem Huisman, President of Dow Benelux. “By providing land and raw facilities, services to important networks, we are able to create a win-win situation for all parties. Musim Mas gets a plug-and-play concept and the region will benefit from new investment and employment.
Statement of Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency NFIA
For several years now the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) has been focusing on strategic acquisition within the priority sectors of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, including the chemicals sector. After having established mutual interests in co-siting between Dow and Musim Mas, NFIA introduced both companies to each other and the project was launched. NFIA has subsequently been involved in the further development of the project, both from Singapore, working closely with Musim Mas, and from the Netherlands, in close cooperation with Dow Benelux, Zeeland Seaports and Economische Impuls Zeeland.
Statement of Ben de Reu, member of the Executive Council of the Province of Zeeland
The establishment of the Musim Mas Ethoxylation Facility is a great boost for Zeeland. It means new jobs in this economically challenging period. The new Ethoxylation Facility is a great example of using our regional strengths (the presence of a strong chemical cluster, availability of well educated work force and good logistic connections and the new production facility) will benefit from value streams from nearby located Dow Chemical by making smart links. It is also auspicious that the Ethoxylation Facility can be the first step in further expansion of Musim Mas in our region in the near future. The excellent combined cooperation efforts of NV Economic Impuls Zeeland and Zeeland Seaports together with NFIA (Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency) contributed to this Musim Mas development in Zeeland. We strongly hope that such combined efforts of Impuls, Zeeland Seaports and NFIA will lead to more economic activities in Zeeland in the coming years.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology 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, agro-sciences 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 2012, Dow had annual sales of approximately $57 billion and employed approximately 54,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 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.
For Editorial Information:
Bregje van den Braak
Dow Benelux B.V.
(0031) 115 67 11 23
Lars Meyer
Musim Mas Group
(0049) 4152 8850710
