Dow picks Pennsylvania site for chemical R&D hub
Dow Chemical has chosen Collegeville, Pa., as the site for a new research and development facility that will open in 2013, the US-based chemical major said Thursday.
Research operations will begin next year at The North East USA Technology Center, Dow said. The site is owned by pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Employees at Dow’s existing Spring House, Pa. campus will begin moving to the new site as early as the first quarter of 2013, the company said.
It is estimated that more than 800 jobs will remain in the county as both Spring House and Collegeville are cities within Montgomery County.
“This premier new location provides Dow’s world-class researchers with a new collaborative and innovation centric space, enhanced capabilities and best in class tools to create differentiation for our customers,” said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow CEO.
“Establishing operations in Collegeville will allow us to remain competitive in a global market and continue as a major employer in Montgomery County, and Pennsylvania."
With over 750,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, the facility will also have room to accommodate potential job growth in the future.
After conducting a comprehensive feasibility study, Dow said it determined this opportunity as the best option to reach research objectives.
“This strategy bolsters our company’s long-standing commitment to Pennsylvania by putting our R&D operations on a long-term path forward,” said Jerome Peribere, executive vice president of Dow Chemical and CEO of Philadelphia-based Dow Advanced Materials.
“We are proud residents of the Delaware Valley region and look forward to continuing the tradition of innovation that our company began here more than 40 years ago.”
Dow’s existing Spring House location, acquired via Dow’s acquisition of Rohm and Haas in 2009, has been a center for strategic research and development since 1963.
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