At a time when many factories are closing their doors and laying off workers, one local business has begun manufacturing a new product.

The Dow Chemical plant at 1255 N. Fifth St. is producing Structurally Insulated Sheeting (SIS), a new multi-purpose building material, for Dow Building Solutions.

That is good news for workers, said Janice Waldron, site and production leader for the plant.

“What it’s done is allow me to keep the people I have busy and employed,” Waldron said.

She said demand is already high for the new product.

“Right now, I’m having trouble filling orders, so I couldn’t be happier,” Waldron said.

SIS has three purposes: It can be used in place of wood sheeting in building new homes, it insulates homes to prevent heat loss and it is water-resistant, according to Dow Building Solution’s Web site.

Despite the product’s early success, Waldron said the plant is not yet hiring new workers, citing the weak U.S. housing market.

Instead, Dow officials want to have production ready for an upturn in the housing market, she said.

“Anytime you try to break into a market, you want to make sure the product is up and ready, so when the market picks up, you can do that,” Waldron said.

Joe Astrouski can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmastrouski@eiu.edu.