SABIC Serves Global Caps & Closures Sector by Providing One Source for Diverse, Innovative Materials and Services

Sittard, the Netherlands – December 1, 2010 – At Plastics Caps & Closures 2010, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is highlighting its innovative polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) materials and application development capabilities that can help customers achieve key goals, including enhanced sustainability, competitive advantage and a reliable source of supply. Stephan Eltink, International Account Manager for caps & closures, is presenting “Culture of Innovation in Caps & Closures,” on December 1st. He will highlight SABIC solutions that address key industry trends: creation of more environmentally responsible products; the growing division between commodity and value-added closures, and volatility in raw material markets. Eltink will show how the SABIC Culture of Innovation is helping customers create, differentiate and optimize new caps and closures.

SABIC is strongly committed to the caps & closures industry and offers a unique value proposition: a global presence, financial stability and reliable access to assets in both Europe and Middle East to ensure a steady, long-term supply of resins. To provide customers a single source for materials and expertise, the company continues to develop new PP and PE materials that improve performance, enhance sustainability and reduce system costs in applications ranging from healthcare to specialty and high-volume packaging.

Innovative Materials Boost Sustainability, Drive Down Costs

For example, SABIC® HDPE organo grades for still water caps utilize high-efficiency slurry technology to help reduce off-flavors while offering a reduced carbon footprint of up to 17 percent vs. gas phase technology.

According to Mario Scholle, Business Manager HDPE Europe, “SABIC successfully tackled the sustainability challenge of removing residual chemicals from our HDPE resins to reduce off-tastes from plastic caps. Traditional methods used a great deal of energy. We used our innovative slurry process that produces HDPE with superior organoleptic properties but requires much less energy. This is a great example of how SABIC has raised the bar for both product quality and sustainability.”

A number of SABIC resins have been developed to reduce system costs through optimized processing, faster crystallization and improved mechanical properties to enable down-gauging.

SABIC® PP QRYSTAL clarified PP random copolymers for crystal-clear overcaps and airless closures enable lower processing temperatures that reduce energy by up to 15 percent, cutting costs and emissions.

Guido Croonen, Business Manager, Polypropylene noted, “Our QRYSTAL grades, which process at lower temperatures than traditional materials, not only save energy but also accelerate crystallization and cooling for shorter cycle times. These innovative materials can make a significant contribution to lower system costs and higher productivity.”

Collaboration Across the Application Development Cycle

To assist customers with application design, development, testing and process optimization, SABIC has a dedicated team focused on the caps & closures sector and a comprehensive sustainability department. SABIC experts can help customers target the best materials instead of going through a time-consuming trial and error process. Technical specialists collaborate with customer teams early in the process to align materials with design, streamline the transition to commercial production and accelerate time to market.

About SABIC
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top six petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.

SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 9 billion (US$ 2.4 billion) in 2009. Sales revenues for 2009 totaled SR 103 billion (US$ 27 billion). Total assets stood at SR 297 billion (US$ 79.2 billion) at the end of 2009.

SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with six dedicated Technology & Innovation Centers in Saudi Arabia, Europe, the USA and India. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with 33,000 employees worldwide.

The company has 19 world-scale complexes in Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere, SABIC manufactures on a global scale in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. SABIC’s overall production has increased from 35 million metric tons in 2001 to 59 million metric tons in 2009.

Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

About SABIC in Europe
In Europe, SABIC has 13 world-scale production facilities which manufacture innovative plastics, polyethylenes, polypropylenes and chemical products. Throughout Europe, SABIC employs approximately 6000 people.

The main European offices for three of SABIC’s strategic business units are located in The Netherlands - Innovative Plastics (Bergen op Zoom), Polymers (Sittard) and Chemicals (Sittard). They operate an extensive network of local sales offices and logistical hubs throughout Europe which are also responsible for the sales of products manufactured elsewhere in the world.

SABIC’s European research facilities form part of the global Technology and Innovation organization and can be found in the Netherlands (Geleen and Bergen op Zoom) and Spain (Cartagena).
Media Notes
• As an acronym, SABIC should be all caps whenever it appears in print.
• ® Trademark of SABIC

Marketing Solutions
Stephanie Wakkee
Box 6
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Kapellen
Belgium
0031164317012

This release was published on openPR.