MIDLAND, MI – The Performance Monomers business of The Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) announced a 10-percent increase in capacity for the production of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) at its Freeport, TX, facility. The increase results from a successful debottlenecking initiative that addresses Dow’s need to increase GMA capacity for its strategic customers. Key drivers for this effort include improving process and mechanical reliability.

David Mongrue, Global Business Manufacturing Director for Performance Monomers, said, “Through the GMA debottlenecking initiative, Dow made significant process and reliability improvements, which delivered a considerable increase in plant capacity in less than a year. This further reinforces Dow’s commitment towards delivering on our strategy of being a highly reliable organization and growing with our strategic customers.”

Primary applications for GMA include automotive and powder coatings, radiation-curable coatings, waterborne resins, industrial and protective finishes, appliance and hardware finishes, adhesives, electrical laminates, hydrogenated LER substitutes as well as plastic modifiers.