Midland, MI - October 18, 2005
The Dow Chemical Company has been awarded the prestigious "R&D 100 Award" by R&D Magazine for the invention of VERSIFY™ Plastomers and Elastomers. The award designates VERSIFY Plastomers and Elastomers as one of the 100 most innovative and technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year. Previous winners of the R&D 100 Award have included the halogen lamp, the fax machine, the printer, liquid crystal displays, and HDTV.
VERSIFY Plastomers and Elastomers are a versatile family of specialty propylene-ethylene copolymers produced using a revolutionary catalyst in combination with Dow's proprietary INSITE™ Technology and Solution Process. These new polymers are based on truly innovative technology - a breakthrough union of propylene and ethylene that provides polymer converters, processors, and formulators with a world of possibilities for new products, new applications, and new markets. Used alone or in blends, the unique molecular architecture of VERSIFY Plastomers and Elastomers helps produce films, fibers, and molded parts with outstanding performance combinations.
"It's especially gratifying to receive recognition for an environmentally-friendly family of resins," said Deepak Parikh, Dow's global business development manager for elastomers. "VERSIFY Plastomers and Elastomers offer versatile performance options that allow our customers to significantly reduce or eliminate environmental issues present in the incumbent resins while still designing and producing comfortable, aesthetically pleasing consumer products that help improve daily life."
About the R&D 100 Award
Now in its 43rd year, the R&D 100 Award is commonly referred to as "The Oscars of Invention." This prestigious honor serves as a benchmark of excellence to industry, government, and academia, helping recipients provide the important push products need to compete successfully in the marketplace. Winning entries are selected by an independent judging panel of consultants and academics along with the editors of the magazine.
Dow's status as a leading innovator was further cemented by a second 2005 R&D 100 Award. INCLOSIA™ Solutions*, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company that specializes in full-service electronic enclosure development and production, has been awarded the R&D 100 Award for the invention of the EXO™ Overmolding System.
Details on this year's winners were published in the September issue of R&D Magazine. An awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Chicago on October 20, 2005.
About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.
For Editorial Information:
Nancy Fullerton
The Dow Chemical Company
(989) 636-8190
Simon Dibb
Porter Novelli
(978) 475-3004
