SABIC, Saudi Arabia’s diversified manufacturing company, has inaugurated a new polypropylene (PP) pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, and announced that it will further invest in building a state-of-the-art PP extrusion facility at the same location
As part of the SABIC’s global expansion plan, these facilities aims to support SABIC’s 2025 strategy to be the preferred world leader in chemicals by delivering ‘Chemistry that Matters,’ said the company in a statement.
The new facility aims to develop grades with improved balance in stiffness and impact resistance, flow properties and other properties specific to target applications.
The new PP extrusion line in Geelen is expected to be in operation in the Q4 2017. According to SABIC, “It will answer customers’ needs for advanced materials that can support them developing the next generation lightweight applications in industries such as packaging, appliances, automotive, and healthcare.”
During the opening ceremony, Yousef Al-Benyan, vice-chairman and CEO of SABIC, said, “In times of change, organisations have two options, drive or be driven.” “At SABIC, we have a long-term vision to drive sustainable success for our customers and we work constantly to create and deliver innovative solutions that answer their challenges,” Al-Benyan added.
In line with SABIC’s goal to achieve a customer-driven innovation, the new PP pilot plant is aimed at designing next-generation PP materials. It is on-stream using gas-phase polymerisation technology.
Speaking about the plant, the company stated, “The plant will enable accelerated development and commercialization of highly innovative material solutions that meet the growing needs of various industries including automotive, health- and personal care, appliances and advanced packaging.”
With the increasing need for sustainable, cost-efficient and compliant solutions across the industry, the manufacturers need to provide increased consumer safety and convenience, while delivering improved functionality, said Al-Fageeh, executive vice-president of Petrochemicals at SABIC. He further added that SABIC focuses on providing increased functionality as well as customer safety by using cutting-edge technologies in production and new material development.
