Sean Keohane, president and chief executive officer of Cabot Corporation and Howard Ungerleider, chief financial officer of DowDuPont joined more than 150 local officials, business leaders and community members today to celebrate the groundbreaking of Cabot’s world-class, fumed silica plant located adjacent to Dow’s Carrollton site in western Kentucky. The official ceremony was held in the presence of local government representatives and other business leaders at the site of the new facility. The groundbreaking coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Dow site in Carrollton and celebrates the Company’s history of innovation through silicones chemistry.
Announced in May 2017, the new manufacturing facility is scheduled to be operational by 2020, and will extend Cabot’s long-term relationship with Dow while furthering Cabot’s position as a leading producer of fumed silica. Upon completion, the plant will incorporate Cabot’s latest technology advances into the plant design and operations. Additionally, the collocation enables a fence-line relationship with Dow, creating a closed-loop system that reduces transportation risks, increases manufacturing efficiencies and reduces waste.
“This is wonderful news for the Carrollton community and the region, as we welcome new manufacturing and celebrate 50 years of innovation,” said Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. “Both of these companies, Cabot and Dow, bring a rich history of excellence to our state and a proud tradition of community and employee support.”
Dow and Cabot have developed a cooperative relationship as both supplier and customer to each other over the last 30 years, with current neighboring operations in Midland, Michigan, U.S.A. and Barry, Wales, United Kingdom. Silicone products made at the Dow site are used by Cabot as a building block for producing fumed silica, an ultra-fine, high-purity particle used as a performance additive in a broad range of applications. Dow, in turn, uses Cabot’s fumed silica in its silicone products as well as by-product from Cabot’s process in its operations.
“We are proud to be a long-standing business partner and corporate citizen in Carrollton, and we are excited to recommit to the site and the community today with the groundbreaking of the new Cabot plant,” said Ungerleider. “The facility will provide a long-term supply of high quality fumed silica to Dow for use in applications for fast growing end-markets, including packaging and construction, and will support sustainable growth for Dow, Cabot and for northern Kentucky.”
“This is yet another example of our corporate strategy at play as we continue to invest and strengthen our core market capabilities,” said Keohane. “This is a great day for Cabot as we expand our presence in North America by building adjacent to our longtime partner Dow in Carrollton. As leaders in our respective industries with a shared commitment to manufacturing and safety, health and environmental excellence, collocation in Carrollton was a natural fit. We look forward to bolstering our partnership, the local economy and community with our new operation.”
