‘Extreme’ Boots -- A Successful Result From Dow Footwear Solutions and Main Group

Midland, MI - March 10, 2008

VORALAST™ G series soft TPU polymers from Dow Footwear Solutions were run on the processing machinery of Main Group Corporation, the world leading footwear machine manufacturer, during a grand customer event at the group’s Italian headquarters in the last week of January.

The safety boots produced during the event are designed to be used in drastic outdoor conditions at -20 degree C temperature in the oil platforms of Siberia. The good mechanical and bending properties of VORALAST G series TPU soling systems made it an ideal choice to produce the boots’ outsole (GT 957 polymer), midsoles and uppers (GT 974 crosslinker, GF422 polyol and GT 967 isocycanate respectively).

The trial production run demonstrated the top quality of Main Group’s new rotary machine Model OMEGA 900 TPU-PU14 st, as well as the high performance and processibility of the soft TPU polymers provided by Dow Footwear Solutions. The machinery and polymers worked perfectly together to make the safety boots required by Main Group’s customers in the Russian market.

Antonio Batistini, the R&D director of Dow Footwear Solutions, was invited to witness the production trial and said: “Our R&D investment is geared to developing solutions that power the ’innovation engines’ of our customers.

We are very pleased with the results. The outsole made with Dow TPU polymers provides the necessary grip, oil resistance and antistatic, along with a 40% weight reduction compared to rubber or PVC.,and the midsole and upper offers the comfort and thermal insulation required by Siberian oil workers.”

“The Main Group and Dow Footwear Solutions are both committed to provide innovative solutions and significant advantages for meeting the needs of our brand owner customers and consumers. We have been working closely together to optimise the machinery and product performance and thus deliver shoes with exceptional quality. This demonstration is one of the many successful examples of our joint efforts.”

About Dow Footwear Solutions

Dow Footwear Solutions is a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company and its affiliates, and is a leading provider of innovative solutions to the footwear industry worldwide. With a broad range of products and material science capabilities, Dow Footwear Solutions enables our customers to offer footwear with exceptional comfort, durability, and lasting value. More information about Dow Footwear Solutions can be found at www.dowfootwear.com.

About The Main Group Corporate

The Main Group Corporation is a global leader in the sector of injection machines for footwear. It is the only manufacturer on a world level to be able to offer quality injection technology for all the synthetic materials used in the field: rubbers, polyurethanes, thermoplastics, EVA. For more details please visit www.maingroup.com

About Dow

®™^* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow

For Editorial Information:

Helen Shi
The Dow Chemical Company
Tel. +86-21-2301 9483

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