Dow Chemical has kicked off the prodution of its polyolefin encapsulant films at Map Ta Phut since August 1, to cash in on growing demand for solar power.

“We’re thrilled to have this capacity come on stream,” said Jerry Pritchett, Global Business Director for the Performance Plastics’ Photovoltaic business. “Market demand for these innovative encapsulant films remains very strong, and this new production capacity will enable us to meet the needs of this fast-growing sector.”

The films are for use in photovoltaic solar panels. The Map Ta Phut facility immediately doubles Dow’s global production capacity. Dow is also constructing a third manufacturing site for this film in Schkopau, Germany, which will also bring additional capacity. Dow has had a production facility in Findlay, Ohio, since December 2010.

“The Map Ta Phut operation has been built with the latest energy efficiency techniques and supports our strategy to further enhance and expand our presence in Thailand,” said Jirasak Singmaneechai, Thailand Country Manager. The new production facility has created approximately 35 new jobs, which brings the total number of employees in Thailand to close to 1,000, nearly doubling the number of people working there in the past four years. Thailand is home to Dow’s largest manufacturing operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Dow has had a presence in Thailand for more than 45 years, and has operated manufacturing sites there since 1978.