From Midland all the way to the heart of Europe.
The year was 1897 and Herbert Henry Dow, having overcome all the obstacles of his time, built a small chemicals factory in Midland, Michigan, USA. In the 1950s, the then Managing Director, Leland I. Doan, saw the opportunities thrown up by a world that was being shaped before his very eyes. People put out feelers overseas and established themselves in continents such as Europe. The foundation stone for global business success had been laid. Learn more about Dow’s global history.
A head office in the heart of Europe
In 1952, during these plans for expansion, Zurich became the company’s starting point in Europe. Dow Europe’s head office has been based in Horgen, Switzerland, since 1974. Today, around 900 people from 54 countries are employed by Dow in Switzerland. Learn more about Dow’s presence in Littau and Buchs.
Active throughout Switzerland
In April 2009, Dow acquired the global specialty chemicals company Rohm & Haas which, with its 15,000-strong workforce, enjoyed a turnover of $10 billion. During the acquisition, Dow in Switzerland gained two further operational sites in Littau in Lucerne (Electronic Materials) and Buchs in St. Gallen (Dow Microbial Control and Acima Specialty Chemicals).