Dow’s Calcium Chloride Business Enters Centennial at the Top of its Game

Few businesses can boast of lasting 100 years. However, in 2007, Dow’s calcium chloride business will be among them. One of Dow’s original product lines, calcium chloride continues to be a valued business. One of Dow’s original product lines, calcium chloride continues to be a valued business, with sales in the hundreds of thousands of tons each year. With a diverse mix of product forms serving a variety of applications, the future prospects for this unique and versatile product remain very good. Dow is one of the largest calcium chloride manufacturers in the world. 

Located in the small, quaint beach town of Ludington, MI, on the shores of Lake Michigan, Dow’s calcium chloride products are produced as pellets, flakes, briquettes and in various liquid concentrations. Major applications include snow and ice control on roads and pedestrian walkways, dust control on unpaved roads and other surfaces, stabilization of road bases, concrete set acceleration during cold weather, and the post-harvest treatment of fruits and vegetables. 

“Any business that can survive and deliver value for a century is special,” said Bill Berrett, general manager for the past six years.  “In this case, there are three key ingredients. First is a product with a genuinely unique combination of physical properties that allow it to perform functions better than alternatives, at a reasonable cost. Second is constant innovation and reinvestment in the product mix and quality, as well as on the process side, to maintain an attractive cost. Third, our success has been driven by great employees who have dedicated themselves to serving customers.” 

In recent years, Dow has continued to invest in this founding product line. During 2006, the company introduced DOWFLAKE™ Xtra, a high concentration flake product, and announced a major expansion for calcium chloride flake and pellet manufacturing at its Ludington site. 

“While no one can predict the future, we feel all the fundamental are in place for another 100 successful years of our calcium chloride business,” Berrett said. “The product is unique and generates value for customers, and Dow’s supply chain strategy and process technology combine to deliver that value at an attractive price.”