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Will DowDuPont’s product shift bring the ‘old DuPont’ back to Delaware?

Giving in to pressure from activist investors, seven product units will now be based in Delaware.

A DuPont trade show banner. (Photo by Flickr user Health Gauge, used under a Creative Commons license)

It’s no secret that the DowDuPont merger did a number on Delaware, even with a co-headquarters and agricultural unit remaining in the state. It was one of those things — everyone knows folks who lost jobs at DuPont or otherwise had to make career shifts due to the merger.
Now, with spinoff companies in specialty products and material sciences heading to Delaware instead of Michigan as originally planned, the question is, is DuPont back?
Gov. John Carney made an optimistic public statement:

This is good news for Delaware, and a recognition that our state has an experienced, world-class workforce that can help DowDuPont grow and thrive. For our state, this will mean additional scientific research and innovation that will help power our economy, drive economic growth, and continue to support good-paying jobs. I am pleased that DowDuPont continues to invest in Delaware and look forward to a long and successful partnership with the combined company.

As reported by the News Journal, some of the specialty product units coming to Delaware include units similar to the ones DuPont used to operate here, including automotive systems, food and pharma. The lines — seven in all — are anticipated to bring in about $8 billion in revenue.
Activist investors have been pressuring DowDuPont to revise its post-merger plans for months. New York hedge fund Third Point made a presentation to Dow in May (which you can see here), which the New York Times credited at least partially for the shift.
Now that we appear to be getting more of DuPont back than expected, and Delaware’s end of the stick seems to be getting longer, the question remains: What does the future hold for the people of Delaware?

Companies: DuPont
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