Dow Strengthens Its Global Presence in the Textile, Nonwovens and Graphic Arts Industries

MORGES, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dow Adhesives and Functional Polymers, a division of The Dow Chemical Company, (NYSE:DOW) a leading technology partner for the specialty materials industry, signals its commitment to the Textile, Nonwovens and Graphic Arts industries by implementing a new Global Management structure.

In alignment with this commitment Pierre Blaix was appointed Global Commercial Director, Textile, Nonwovens and Graphic Arts; and Mark Smith was named Global Market Manager Textile, Nonwovens and Graphic Arts. These two leaders, bringing significant experience to their new roles, are responsible for implementing a global business model to enable better focus, efficiency and leveraging of resources across the group to best meet market needs.

“We are pleased to bring these talented leaders onboard to drive a global and focused structure for our Textile, Nonwovens and Graphic Arts businesses. Delivering innovation and fostering customer intimacy with our local and global customers are key priorities for our group. Such a globally organized group will enable us to accelerate our capacity to deliver on these priorities and confirms our long term commitment to these industries” says Michelle Williams, Tape, Label and Textile General Manager.

Pierre Blaix joined Dow (former Rohm and Haas) in 1985 and held various positions in sales, marketing and management in Electronic Materials. Mr Blaix takes over the Global commercial responsibility with a strong sales and management background from an industry strongly focussed on customer intimacy, innovation and speed to market.

Mark Smith joined Dow (former Rohm and Haas) in 2008 as European Market Manager for Paper, Textile, Nonwovens and Graphic Arts. Previously, he was held a number of positions with DuPont in Finance, Product Management, Six Sigma and most recently Global Marketing.

About Dow Adhesives and Functional Polymers

Dow Adhesives and Functional Polymers is a portfolio of three businesses - Packaging and Converting, Tape Labels and Textiles and Industrial Functional Polymers - primarily made of sticking and bonding solutions, serving the flexible packaging business, adhesive tapes and paper labels, and a mixed range of applications including auto, imaging & leather. Together these businesses offer an integrated technology platform with formulation capabilities and a capacity to serve tailored needs globally.

A business group within Dow’s Advanced Material Division, Dow Adhesives and Functional Polymers generates $1B of revenue while operating a network of over 40 Technical, R&D and Manufacturing sites to serve local customer needs globally.

About Dow

Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in approximately 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. In 2008, Dow had annual sales of $57.5 billion and employed approximately 46,000 people worldwide. The Company has 150 manufacturing sites in 35 countries and produces approximately 3,300 products. On April 1, 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas Company, a global specialty materials company with sales of $10 billion in 2008, 98 manufacturing sites in 30 countries and approximately 15,000 employees worldwide. Visit www.dow.com for more information.

^®TM Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6057400&lang=en