Media and Information Center

• State-of-the-art facility showcases best practices and uses Dow Corning technologies to enhance environmental, health and safety performance
• The investment of more than 30 Mio. € will advance Dow Corning’sdelivery capacities and optimize service for customers throughout Europe, Middle East, South Asia and Africa

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, today announced the completion of its 32,000 square meter energy efficient European distribution center in Feluy, Belgium. The new state-of-the-art facility showcases best practices to enhance environmental, health and safety performance and will allow Dow Corning to support future growth in the region, Belgium and Europe. The facility doubles the size of the current warehouse and was constructed in only 15 months.

Klaus Hoffmann, regional president – Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA): “The new European distribution center uses optimized workflows and will significantly improve Dow Corning’s materials delivery capabilities, quality and customer service performance. It will equip our company for continued sustainable growth in Europe, to even better serve our customers with the innovative products, applications and services on which we have built our reputation.”

The distribution center’s environmental, health and safety performance was enhanced by Dow Corning’s use of sustainable architecture and Dow Corning silicon-based technologies. The main entrance of the distribution center is surrounded by an attractive glazed façade of 240 m². Dow Corning transparent structural silicone adhesive (Dow Corning® TSSA) was used to attach insulating glass units to the spider facade system which allows creating a frameless glass facade. This adhesive, developed for point-fixing in glazing, combines high transparency, strong adhesion, thermal stability and excellent weatherability – all characteristics key to improving a building's lifespan and efficiency. Furthermore Dow Corning’s structural glazed facade technology allows the creation of modern construction with larger, more efficient windows that enables both providing better thermal insulation and letting in more daylight. Also more than two km of concrete floor and wall joints inside the building have been sealed with Dow Corning silicones. Silicone sealants perform well under the stress of UV radiation, extreme heat and cold, and acid rain.

Dow Corning also invested in special features to enhance energy efficiency. To reduce energy consumption the company further increased the levels of roof insulation and installed heat recovery facilities on the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. To save artificial lighting, the use of natural lighting was maximized via the use of roof lights and where possible motion lighting controls. The structure of the distribution center is also equipped to support solar panels on the roof.

As safety is one of Dow Corning’s core values, Dow Corning focuses on preventing accidents, eliminating their root causes, and managing chemicals responsibly throughout their life cycles. The new distribution center further increases Dow Corning’s safety performance. Safety interlocks at the loading bays make it impossible for the trucks to drive off accidentally; state-of the-art high integrity designs for the containment systems guarantee that chemicals are managed responsibly and high integrity fire detection and protection systems ensure the highest possible level of safety.

“This new best in class distribution center underlines our efforts to apply our innovative thinking and technology know-how to act responsibly in our own operations, to protect our environment and our people, and to help our customers to meet their goals,” said Hoffmann.

In the coming month Dow Corning will work on the transition to the new state-of-the-art distribution center. When fully operational the facility, which uses optimized workflows, will significantly advance Dow Corning’s materials delivery capability and quality as well as service performance for customers in Europe, Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

About Dow Corning
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company’s Dow Corning® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States. Dow Corning’s global operations adhere to the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® initiative, a stringent set of standards designed to advance the safe and secure management of chemical products and processes.

Dow Corning is a registered trademark of Dow Corning Corporation.
We help you invent the future is a trademark of Dow Corning Corporation.
XIAMETER is a registered trademark of Dow Corning Corporation.