Dow Chemical Co said it would lay off about 2,500 employees globally, or about 4 percent of its workforce, as part of a deal to assume full control of Dow Corning, which was a joint venture with Gorilla glass maker Corning Inc.
The seeds and chemical maker said it would also shut down silicones manufacturing facilities in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Yamakita, Japan, as well as certain administrative, corporate and manufacturing facilities.
Formed in 1943, Dow Corning produces silicon-based products for aerospace, automotive and electrical industries.
Dow Chemical announced the deal for Dow Corning in December, when it also said it would merge with DuPont (DD.N) in an all-stock deal, which then valued the combined company at $130 billion.
Dow Chemical on Tuesday raised its annual cost savings estimate for the deal to $400 million from $300 million. The company said it was also targeting $100 million in growth synergies.
Dow Chemical said the actions announced on Tuesday would position the company to achieve its cost synergy target run rate of 70 percent within 12 months of closing the deal, and 100 percent within 24 months.
The deal is expected to add to Dow Chemical’s operating earnings per share, cash flow from operations and free cash flow in the first full year after close.
Dow Chemical said it would take a charge of about $410 million to $460 million in the second quarter for asset impairments, severance and other costs.
By Swetha Gopinath
Source: Reuters
The future CEO of thyssenkrupp Uhde, Nadja Håkansson, has held various management positions at Siemens and Siemens Energy and looks back on over 18 years of national and international experience in the areas of supply chain management, operations, sales and corporate management.
Neste and South Korean company Lotte Chemical have partnered on a project to elevate the sustainability profile of chemicals and plastics. The partnership’s ambition is to replace fossil resources with renewable raw materials that offer a lower carbon footprint.
At least the confidence in the chemical sector has been seeing an upward trend and the trade balance is recovering as destocking seems to be coming to an end. Citing projections from the European Central Bank, CEFIC states that the level of inflation is expected to fall from 5.4% in 2023 to 2.3% in 2024.