Something New for Silicon

Midland, MI  March 6, 2002  Dow Corning Corp., a manufacturer of silicon-based products, this week announced the launch of a new business model and global brand called Xiameter. According to Dow, Xiameter will operate via the Web and feature services to reduce the cost of commonly used silicon-based products.

We have changed all the rules for our silicon-based materials business, explained Stephanie Burns, executive vice president. For customers who order in high volumes and need raw materials without extra services, Xiameter provides the lowest-base prices currently available for silicon-based materials.

Dow said Xiameter offers lowest-base pricing for high-volume shipping units of silicon-based materials. Featuring a broad range of more than 300 fluids, resins, silanes and sealants, Xiameter's brand is built to eliminate costs to the customer through the application of business rules and the use of Web-enabled transactions.

As of March 5, XIAMETER products are sold in more than 50 countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, North America and most of Western Europe.

Don Sheets, general manager of Xiameter's global team, said the business provides customers with a new measure of value on the basis of price, product and ease of doing business. At this price, silicon-based products will be an option for companies that don't currently use them, he commented. By making these commonly-used materials available at a lower price point, we're offering customers a new competitive edge, allowing them to introduce new innovations to their end-marketplaces.

A number of investments have set the foundation for new product and service options from Dow Corning. The Michigan-based company has invested heavily in its global manufacturing capacity, new business processes, SAP and HAHT information technology platforms, and e-commerce services in order to address customers' dynamic needs.