MIDLAND, Mich., May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dow Chemical Company announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dow AgroSciences, has been honored at RFID Journal LIVE! with the conference's top award: "Most Innovative Use of RFID."

RFID Journal LIVE! is the world's largest annual conference and exhibition focused on radio frequency identification (RFID). The award, presented at today's general session in Orlando, spotlights Dow for its ground-breaking use of RFID technology as a key component of the Company's termite baiting system, the Sentricon(R) Termite Colony Elimination System.

Dow has long been an advocate for leveraging information technology to enable employees, partners and customers to work better, faster and safer -- thereby creating new opportunities for productivity, cost savings, innovation and growth.

"At Dow, we place a high priority on exploring and optimizing emerging technologies, such as RFID and GPS, so they can be applied for maximum value to the organization, our business units and our customers," said Dave Asiala, information technology director at Dow. "We are using RFID in this particular initiative to help increase productivity for Dow AgroSciences' business and its customers. In another application, the technology plays a significant role in our global supply chain sustainability strategy by enabling enhancements in shipment visibility and information sharing with industry and government partners."

Dow AgroSciences' Sentricon System, introduced to the market in 1995 and RFID-enabled in 2002, is an in-ground treatment and detection solution that baits and eliminates termite colonies. When the system detects termite activity, it triggers an RFID tag that transmits a signal to an electronic scanning unit used by a trained Sentricon System Authorized Operator. With the RFID tags built in to the system, the operator does not have to manually remove the system to determine if termite activity has occurred. Through this technology, the Sentricon System has been able to increase operator efficiency by 67 percent and reduce actual site inspection time by six minutes, thereby increasing possible site visits from approximately 12 to 20 per day.

"The Sentricon System highlights that RFID has uses well beyond what many people regard as its traditional application -- helping to solve unusual business and consumer-facing challenges," said Andy Wurtz, Sentricon Electronics Technology Leader, Dow AgroSciences. "Dow's focus on leveraging most effective technologies enables us to take an innovative approach to a traditional household problem that accelerates productivity and allows for timely customer response."

The Sentricon System was one of more than 50 entries submitted in RFID Journal LIVE!'s inaugural awards program. The program, which has three categories, also honored Hewlett-Packard Brazil for "Best RFID Implementation" and DHL for "Best Use of RFID in a Service."

About Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top tier agricultural company providing innovative crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seed, and agricultural biotechnology solutions to serve the world's growing population. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are $3.4 billion. Learn more at http://www.dowagro.com/.

About The Dow Chemical Company

Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of innovation, science and technology to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company offers a broad range of products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $49 billion and employs 43,000 people worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at http://www.dow.com/.

For editorial information: Diana Patty The Dow Chemical Company (989) 636-5689 dlpatty@dow.com For editorial information: Tina Janczura GolinHarris (312) 719-5608 tjanczura@golinharris.com

CONTACT: Diana Patty of The Dow Chemical Company, +1-989-636-5689,
dlpatty@dow.com; or Editorial information, Tina Janczura of GolinHarris,
+1-312-719-5608, tjanczura@golinharris.com, for The Dow Chemical Company

Web site: http://www.dow.com/
http://www.dowagro.com/