MIDLAND, Mich. - The Dow Chemical Co. will further extend part of its polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI) operations at its LaPorte, Texas, facility, while the company's new 500-million-lb PMDI facility in Freeport, Texas, continues its startup process.

Dow also announced that the Force Majeure it had declared for its MDI products in North America has been lifted. However, the company added that an order control is in place for North American MDI due to continued strong demand and limited inventories. Once the new Freeport plant is running at designed rates, Dow intends to shut down the LaPorte plant as announced earlier.