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Leading silicone technology company, Dow
Corning Corporation, said today that a newly published report demonstrates the
value of silicones to the European economy and their significant potential to
benefit the newer European Community members.
The 'Socio-Economic Study on Silicones in Europe', published by CES (Centre
Européen des Slicones) shows that silicone specialty materials are an integral
element in the operations of almost 100,000 companies in the European
Community. "These are companies who realize that silicone materials can
help to grow their businesses to meet changing consumer needs or to improve the
efficiency of their manufacturing operations," said Klaus Hoffman, Dow Corning European Area
President.
The CES study, the first of its kind on the industry in Europe, identified
that:
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7,500 jobs in Europe depend directly on silicone production, with a further
139,000 in downstream industries.
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Overall, silicones affect 1.3 million jobs.
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Construction, electricity generation and electronics are the leading
end-use sectors for silicones.
"Today, much of the value and the jobs created by the silicone industry
are in the mature European economies like Germany or France which have been
using the materials for decades," said Klaus. "At Dow Corning, we
believe a lot of future growth will come from the emerging geographies that
form the new European market. These countries are only now beginning to see the
potential of these materials to help their businesses to develop."
In anticipation of the future opportunities, Dow Corning had expanded its
operations in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Turkey. The
interest in silicone materials is growing in these countries because local
companies are looking to meet the needs of consumers at home as well as
capitalizing on the potential of the wider European market.
Klaus added: "The innovations in silicone applications that are taking
place in other parts of Europe will be a further source of growth. When you add
the two together it's clear that the value of the silicone industry is going to
increase beyond the current €9 billion and the number of associated jobs will
rise well beyond the 1.3 million we see today."
Note for editors
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Learn more about the different
applications of silicones
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The socio economic study commissioned by CES covered 25 countries
(representing the European Community plus Norway and Switzerland)
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To learn more and to download the full study, go to
http://www.silicones-europe.com/socioeconomic
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 silicon-based
technology and innovation, offering more than 7,000 products and services, 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.
For further information: Please direct inquiries to one of our media
representatives.
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