Chemical maker Dow Thailand plans to expand its propylene glycol (PG) production capacity in Rayong's Map Ta Phut, aiming to become the largest PG producer in Asia-Pacific as it serves customers in the food, skincare and automotive industries.
PG is a key material in the production of a range of products, including emulsifiers and antifreeze for car manufacturing.
The expansion increases PG production capacity by 80,000 tonnes a year, bringing total capacity to 250,000 tonnes annually.
The facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2024.
The move allows Dow to serve a growing customer base in India and Asia-Pacific.
"The larger capacity optimises our existing asset infrastructure to enable continued growth in high-value applications, positioning us to better serve our customers in fast-growing markets," said Jane Palmieri, president of Dow Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure.
Capital spending has not been announced, but the project forms part of Thailand's ambitious petrochemical complex plan to become a major production hub and supply of global petrochemical products.
"This investment is a testament to the trust in the Thai team to expand capacity to serve growth in demand from customers," said Chatchai Luanpolcharoenchai, president of Dow Thailand.
Dow's leading PG franchise upgrades basic chemical building blocks to produce high-quality ingredients for cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals and many other products for everyday use.
