Dow Chemical 2014 Annual Report Download - page 36

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competes worldwide on the basis of quality, technology and price. Key competitors include Axiall, BASF, Bayer, Hexion,
Huntsman and Olin.
Distribution
The Performance Materials & Chemicals segment markets its products primarily through the Company's sales force and also
utilizes distributors worldwide.
Joint Ventures
Principal joint ventures that impact the Performance Materials & Chemicals segment are listed below:
Aligned 100 percent with Performance Materials & Chemicals:
• MEGlobal - headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and manufactures and markets monoethylene glycol,
diethylene glycol and polyethylene terephthalate resins; owned 50 percent by the Company.
Performance Materials & Chemicals includes a portion of the results of:
• EQUATE Petrochemicals Company K.S.C. - a Kuwait-based company that manufactures ethylene, polyethylene
and ethylene glycol; owned 42.5 percent by the Company.
• The Kuwait Olefins Company K.S.C. - a Kuwait-based company that manufactures ethylene and ethylene glycol;
owned 42.5 percent by the Company.
• Map Ta Phut Olefins Company Limited - effective ownership is 32.77 percent of which the Company directly
owns 20.27 percent (aligned with Performance Materials & Chemicals) and indirectly owns 12.5 percent through
its equity interest in Siam Polyethylene Company Limited and Siam Synthetic Latex Company Limited (both part
of The SCG-Dow Group and aligned with Performance Plastics). This Thailand-based company manufactures
propylene and ethylene.
• Sadara Chemical Company - a development-stage Saudi Arabian company that will manufacture chlorine,
ethylene and propylene for internal consumption and will produce and sell high-value added chemical products
and performance plastics; owned 35 percent by the Company.
PERFORMANCE PLASTICS
The Performance Plastics segment is the world’s leading plastics franchise, and is a market-oriented portfolio composed of five
global businesses: Dow Elastomers, Dow Electrical and Telecommunications, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Energy
and Hydrocarbons. The segment is advantaged through its low cost position into key feedstocks and broad geographic reach,
with sales in more than 110 countries and manufacturing facilities located in all geographic areas. It also benefits from Dow’s
R&D expertise to deliver leading-edge technology that provides a competitive benefit to customers in key strategic markets.
Details on Performance Plastics' 2014 sales, by business and geographic area, are as follows:
Dow Elastomers, Dow Electrical and Telecommunications, and Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics serve high-growth, high-
value sectors where Dow's world-class technology and rich innovation pipeline creates competitive advantages for customers
and the entire value chain. Together, these three global businesses have complimentary market reach, asset capabilities and
technology platforms that provide the Company with immediate and long-term growth synergies. Market growth is expected to
be driven by major shifts in population demographics, improving socioeconomic status in emerging geographies, consumer and
brand owner demand for increased consumer convenience, efforts to reduce food waste, growth in telecommunications
networks, specifically broadband and LTE networks, and global development of electrical transmission and distribution
infrastructure and renewable energy applications. Market segments served by these businesses include adhesives, construction,