The petrochemical manufacturing company SABIC and hte, a subsidiary of BASF, have extended collaboration plans for another five years
This collaboration aims to increase efficiency in petrochemical catalysis research and development (R&D) through digitalisation and high-throughput technologies.
The agreement stipulates that SABIC and hte will maintain the operation of SABIC’s satellite laboratory for high-performance experimentation in Heidelberg, Germany, and will install and operate a new high-performance experimentation laboratory at SABIC’s Corporate R&D (CRD) site at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
In addition, SABIC will have the opportunity to transfer the institutional knowledge of hte to its own corporate R&D centre at KAUST in Saudi Arabia.
SABIC and hte will also set up a new high-performance experimentation laboratory based on Heidelberg’s established satellite laboratory. This centre will provide access to the latest technology and expertise to accelerate petrochemical innovation.
Its close proximity to commercial plants will enable SABIC to more efficiently support and optimise plant operation and productivity. The overall objective is to significantly reduce time and costs for the development of new catalysts and petrochemical processes, and ultimately to reduce their time-to-market.
Fahad Al-Sherehy, executive vice-president, Technology & Innovation, SABIC, stated, “We are happy to continue our collaboration with hte, a leading provider of modern R&D solutions and technology. By introducing hte’s comprehensive, web-enabled data management solution myhte™ we also will address our goal to introduce digitalisation in catalysis R&D. An innovative partner like hte will add value to our business in the long term, and this will significantly enhance our pace of innovation.”
Wolfram Stichert, CEO at hte, said, “The commitment for further cooperation with SABIC will take our relationship to the next level. We are proud to be SABIC’s preferred R&D collaboration partner and to extend the footprint of our partnership into Saudi Arabia for the first time.”
SABIC considers research and innovation to be a vital pillar in achieving sustainable growth and competitiveness while taking into account the highest standards of safety, health and environment that lay the groundwork for enabling Saudi Vision 2030.
