Developing innovative products that exceed consumer demand is critical for an industry that continues to suffer from eroding margins, both at the supplier and end-product level. Last year ended on a sour note for many surfactant suppliers, with price erosion, war jitters and weak economies spooking the market. How will 2003 end? “Do you have a coin?,” joked David Ford, Dow’s global business director, surfactants business. “What we’re hearing from our customers is skeptical optimism. Everyone is...