MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC (Jubail, Saudi Arabia) has announced the start-up of its new polypropylene (PP) compounding line in Genk, Belgium with a virtual inauguration event, said the company.
The new line is an addition to the company’s existing production capacity for SABIC® polypropylene compounds at the Genk site and will use raw materials from SABIC’s PP plants at Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and Geleen, The Netherlands. It has been equipped with cutting-edge large-scale extrusion technology to meet the market’s growing demand for high-quality, high-performance PP compounds with reliable and consistent supply.
“This investment is part of our business strategy for growth through advanced PP compound solutions designed to help customers develop next-generation lightweight applications in industries such as automotive, home appliances and consumer goods,” says Lada Kurelec, General Manager for PP & E4P Business, SABIC. “The added capacity also enhances our on-site production flexibility for introducing innovative new PP polymer technology without compromising the security of supply of established compound products."
The unique virtual opening was presided over by Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, Executive Vice President for Petrochemicals, and other SABIC executives, providing insight on how customers can benefit from the company’s extended capacity to drive innovation in their markets. “We all are seeing industries evolve rapidly, with an increasing demand for high-performance PP compounds that are lighter, yet strong and durable while meeting rigorous standards,” said Mr. Al-Fageeh. “At SABIC, we are playing our part by relentlessly pursuing cutting-edge technologies, both in production and new material development. This new production line will support our company’s strategy to develop new sustainable material solutions that help our customers achieve their goals, as we work with them in ever-closer collaboration."
Earlier it was reported that in March of this year, BASF SE (Germany), Sabic (Saudi Arabia) and Linde (Germany) signed an agreement to develop electrically heated cracking furnaces. Steam cracking units require significant amounts of energy to break down hydrocarbons into olefins and aromatics. BASF and SABIC have combined their chemical process developments with their experience and expertise in the operation of steam cracking units, while Linde contributed with its intellectual property, expertise in the design and construction of steam cracking furnace technologies.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
SABIC is a diversified company manufacturing chemicals, industrial polymers, fertilizers and metals. It is the largest state-owned company in Saudi Arabia. SABIC is currently the world's second largest producer of ethylene glycol, the third largest polyethylene producer, and the fourth largest polypropylene producer.
MRC