Dow held a completion ceremony for its Silicone Expansion Project at the Zhangjiagang Bonded Zone on March 20. Its successful launch underscores Dow's commitment to Zhangjiagang and will provide significant momentum for the city's advanced materials industry.
The project began construction in June 2023 and is designed to enhance Dow's capabilities in serving key markets such as electronics, transportation, renewable energy, packaging, and construction.
Brendy Lange, president of Performance Materials and Coatings at Dow, emphasized that Zhangjiagang serves as Dow's most extensive production base in Greater China and one of the world's most extensive silicone manufacturing hubs.
He stated that the completion of this expansion project marks a major milestone, enabling Dow to more efficiently meet the growing demand in China and the broader Asia-Pacific market. He added that Dow plans to expand its downstream silicone investments in Zhangjiagang.
Brendy Lange speaks on the Dow's Silicone Expansion Project completion ceremony at the Zhangjiagang Bonded Zone on March 20. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]
As a Fortune 500 company and a global leader in silicone and silicon-based innovations, Dow has continuously expanded its presence in Zhangjiagang since establishing operations there in 1998. To date, the company has completed 19 major projects with a total investment of $3 billion, making it the largest foreign-invested enterprise in the city.
In recent years, Zhangjiagang has prioritized advanced materials as a key industry, focusing on strengthening supply chains, optimizing the business environment, and fostering industrial clusters. In 2024, the city's advanced materials sector achieved an output value of 76.72 billion yuan ($10.59 billion), a 13.6 percent year-on-year increase, with profitability ranking highest among all key industries in Zhangjiagang for two consecutive years.
The Zhangjiagang Bonded Zone comprises 96 chemical production enterprises, forming competitive industry clusters in silicone, high-performance materials, and advanced coatings.