Rhodia and Dow Corning drive green tyre innovation with silica/silane agreement
News release
Midland, MI, USA and Paris, France ; November 4, 2008 -Rhodia and Dow Corning Corporation have announced an agreement for the development and commercialisation of new silica/silane products to support the tyre industry’s drive for energy efficient, safer motoring.
This agreement aims to develop and commercialise innovative silica/silane combinations, principally for the tyre industry where the association of precipitated silica and silane is used in low-energy tyres to help reduce the rolling resistance and hence the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The silane is the component which enhances the interaction between polymer and silica.
Through this partnership, Dow Corning and Rhodia see opportunities to create breakthrough solutions for their customers, enabling further performance improvements in the field of sustainable mobility, such as fuel savings and emissions reductions.
"This collaboration between two global leaders - Rhodia for high-performance silica and Dow Corning for silanes - will further strengthen our technological leadership on a high-growth market" said Rhodia Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Clamadieu. “Rhodia confirms its strategic focus on markets driven by sustainable development concerns, which currently represent 30 percent of the group’s sales.”
According to Stephanie Burns, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dow Corning, “We are proud to partner with Rhodia to continue our drive towards innovative, fuel-saving technologies. From this common development platform, we can better deliver innovative solutions and enable tyre manufacturers to meet customer demand for more sustainable technologies.”
Rhodia ( www.rhodia.com)is an international chemical company resolutely committed to sustainable development. As a leader in its businesses, the Group aims to improve its customers’ performance through the pursuit of operational excellence and its ability to innovate. Structured around six Enterprises, Rhodia is thepartner of major players in the automotive, tyre, electronics, perfume, health & beauty and home care markets. The Group employs around 15,000 people worldwide and generated sales of €4.8 billion in 2007. Rhodia is listed on Euronext Paris.
Dow Corning(www.dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide.A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services through the Dow Corning® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is a joint venture equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States.
Contacts Dow Corning
Richard VanOrnum +1.857.991.1045 - rvanornum@apcoworldwide.com
Contacts Rhodia
Media Relations
Rita Hillig +33 (0)1 53 56 64 04
Lamia Narcisse +33 (0)1 53 56 59 62
Jérôme Pisani (Rhodia Silcea) +33 (0)4 37 91 81 13 - jerome.pisani@eu.rhodia.com
Investor Relations
Maria Alcon Hidalgo +33 (0)1 53 56 64 89
Loic Harrari +33 (0)1 53 56 64 80