Firm expands to green energy, materials for high-tech industries By Jaclyn Trop The Detroit News There's probably nothing in your house that says Dow on it, but there are very few household items that aren't made with Dow Chemical Co. products. Midland-based Dow, the world's second-largest chemical company, makes and sells the chemicals that go into products ranging from Styrofoam brand insulation to consumer electronics, paints and pharmaceuticals. Then there's Dow's contribution to household and personal care products, including laundry detergents, shampoos, sunscreens, cosmetics, moisturizing creams and lotions. 'Our products touch virtually every sector out there,' spokesman Bob Plishka said. 'Electronics to agriculture to water to automotive and transportation to basic chemicals.' But the company is shifting to focus more on specialty and performance chemicals and advanced materials, rather than basic commodities. Dow supplies materials for gaskets and seals, rubber, tires, lubricants, windshield adhesive and paint for the automotive sector; herbicides, insecticides and biotech seeds through its agricultural division; food additives; water filtration systems, insulation and weatherization products used in the construction industry; and coatings for pills and other pharmaceuticals -- just to name a few. Its $15.3 billion acquisition of Rohm & Haas last April has helped Dow enter the market for high-value advanced materials used in semiconductor production, screen coatings for televisions and cell phones, and low- and no-odor paints. Dow also is expanding its reach into the alternative energy business, with projects in wind, solar and battery power expected to launch soon. The company's Powerhouse solar shingles, which would replace standard asphalt roof shingles and slash homeowners' energy bills, have been heralded as one of Time magazine's '50 best inventions of 2009.' The company's involvement in high technology and research and development helps diversify Michigan's economy, said Theodore Bolema, principal at Anderson Economic Group in East Lansing. And, a project to develop low-cost carbon fibers to construct wind turbines would mobilize southeastern Michigan's unemployed manufacturing base, said Greg Main, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. 'A wind turbine has 8,000 parts,' Main said. 'It's like an automobile.' jtropdetnews.com (313) 222-2300 