In 1967, as part of its drive to explore new markets, The Dow Chemical Company established Dow Chemical Thailand to import and sell polystyrene, plastic products and other chemicals through an office in downtown Bangkok.
It soon became apparent that there was vast potential for petrochemicals not only in Thailand, but across Southeast Asia. As the Vietnam War came to a close, Dow began planning its first production facility in the region, and in 1978 Dow opened Thailand's first Polystyrene (PS) plant in Phrapadaeng, a sleepy village on the outskirts of Bangkok.
In 1987, Dow and Siam Cement Public Company Limited, one of Thailand's most respected companies, signed a joint venture agreement to establish Pacific Plastics (Thailand) Ltd.
In 1989 the government established Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate to serve as the nation's petrochemical/petroleum complex, and the SCG-Dow Group, as the joint venture had come to be known seized the opportunity to expand their collaboration.
In 1993, SCG-Dow Group moved into Map Ta Phut, by opening a Styrene-Butadiene Latex plant and a Polyurethane plant, and over the next six years, the Group opened a new Polystyrene plant, a Styrene and Ethyl Benzene plant, and a Polyethylene plant, making Map Ta Phut Dow's only operation in Asia-Pacific for both PE and EBSM.
In October 2006, Dow announced plans to move ahead with a liquids cracker that was developed jointly with Siam Cement. The cracker has been located in close proximity to the five joint ventures of the SCG-Dow Group, thereby enabling existing assets, capabilities, and infrastructure to be leveraged to create a source of advantaged raw materials for downstream derivative businesses. With this new investment, Thailand is expected to become Dow's largest manufacturing site in Asia.
In 2010, Dow is currently building downstream plants to produce Polyethylene (SPEII), Specialty Elastomers, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Propylene Oxide. The last three plants are all being built at Dow's new site at the Asia Industrial Estate (AIE) and will be operational in 2011.