The major US chemical manufacturer, Dow Chemical, announced that it would jointly produce propylene oxide (PO) used in the production of raw materials for polyurethane through hydrogen peroxide process with Siam Cement Group in Thailand. Its annual production capacity will be 390,000 tons and it is expected to start commercial manufacturing in the first half of 2011. The investment amounted to approximately 3 billion baht.

Propylene, raw material for the production of PO, will be supplied by Map-ta-phut Olefins (MOC), a joint venture of Siam Cement and Dow, and hydrogen peroxide will be supplied by Dow's joint venture in Thailand with Solvay, a Belgian chemical and medical products maker.