Tool Box for Developing Specialty Chemicals Now Available on CD from Dow Corning

01-27-2004: Dow Corning has introduced a tool developed to help create new and improved chemical products. The CD provides many of the same components used by Dow Corning - the world's most experienced silicon-based materials supplier - to develop technical solutions for its own customers. The Tool Box for Specialty Chemical Manufacturers is designed to help meet customized needs quickly and precisely by providing physical properties, performance data and regulatory status, as well as formulation info and training modules. By using the new tools, chemical manufacturers and formulators can simplify product development, enhance their knowledge base and reduce time to market.

"We've been able to capture a great deal of useful information with this format," commented Donald L. Buchalski, Marketing Specialist. "Specialty chemical manufacturers now have extensive resources for developing new materials, with detailed facts on compounds, fluids, resins, functional polymers and emulsions always at their fingertips."

The inaugural release of the Tool Box CD is organized into three main sections. Under the 'General Product Line' heading, users can quickly access physical properties, component ratios and chemical structures for antifoams, silanols, functional fluids, resins, siloxanes and other materials. "The speed with which all this information is accessed can be a significant advantage," Buchalski continued. "It doesn't depend on the availability of a customer service person, and it eliminates the need for an extensive library of printed information."

In the 'Solutions' portion of the CD, Dow Corning offers information on training courses and business services covering such wide-ranging topics as good manufacturing practices (GMPs), geographic expansion and analytical testing. The section also provides a summary of available self-study tools and training modules, as well as raw materials info and even a list of suppliers and internet links offering surfactants, thickeners and other common additives.

The 'Additional Links' section provides starter formulations and the opportunity to register for Dow Corning Premier status, which allows customers to access Dow Corning's online Tool Box, obtain specific product information, request samples, place/track orders online and retrieve documentation.

The Tool Box is part of a Dow Corning initiative, designed to help streamline customers' new materials development and speed time to market. The strategy also includes the recent launch of an electronic newsletter created specifically for specialty chemical manufacturers. ChemicalManufacturing Solutions delivers product information, service offerings and information on new technologies to help chemical manufacturers succeed in demanding, fast-paced markets.