Dow Announces Mechanical Completion of its 1st Acrylic Monomer Production Facility in Middle East

PHILADELPHIA -- The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) is pleased to announce the mechanical completion of the first acrylicmonomer production facility in the Middle East. The Saudi Acrylic Monomer Company (SAMCo) joint venture plant in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia, provides the company with advantaged feedstocks to fuel Dows production of acrylic emulsion polymers for applications such as coatings and adhesives. The plant will also allow more reliable and efficient supply to customers in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

Dow acquired a joint venture stake in SAMCo with Tasnee Sahara Olefins Company in 2009. The new plant will produce Glacial Acrylic Acid (GAA) and Butyl Acrylate (BA) to fuel regional, global and captive demand. Tasnee will market the products in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Dow will market them throughout the rest of the world. Pre-marketing activities have been underway for several months and SAMCo looks forward to commencing commercial shipments in the next quarter.

"The SAMCo plant was designed to incorporate Dows best technologies to help ensure safe and efficient operations to allow us to improve reliable supply to customers around the world as well as our own downstream businesses," said Pat Gottschalk, business president for Dows monomers, resins and intermediates businesses.

The SAMCo plant was completed with an outstanding construction safety record and the project was recognized by Project Finance magazine as the Middle East petrochemical project of the year in 2012.

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 worlds most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dows 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 2012, Dow had annual sales of approximately $57 billion and employed approximately 54,000 people worldwide. The Companys more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mea