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Sabic expands in the Netherlands with new pilot plant and construction of PP extrusion facility

| By Mary Bailey

Sabic Plastic Plant

Sabic’s PP Pilot Plant

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com) announced the inauguration of a new polypropylene (PP) pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, and a new investment in a state-of-the-art PP extrusion facility to be built at the same location. The highly automated, cutting-edge PP extrusion line is expected to be in operation in the fourth quarter of 2017 on SABIC’s Geleen site. It will answer customers’ needs for advanced materials that can support lightweight applications in industries such as packaging, appliances, automotive and healthcare.

The new PP pilot plant, located at SABIC’s Global Technology Center for Europe in Geleen, will design next-generation PP materials. It is already onstream using gas-phase polymerization technology. 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.

Lina Prada, Global PP Technology Director at SABIC, says the pilot plant, at the Brightlands Chemelot R&D and manufacturing campus, is the latest demonstration of SABIC’s commitment to invest in innovation; the company opened a research facility on the Brightlands Chemelot campus in May 2016. “We are making a significant step in growing and developing our capabilities in Geleen, where we have solid expertise in polyolefin developments from all aspects: catalyst, process, material and application” says Prada.

The new facility will serve to develop grades with improved balance in stiffness and impact resistance, flow properties and other properties specific to target applications. SABIC plans to concentrate on development of impact grades of polypropylene, as well as random copolymers and homopolymers. It will also carry out experiments on advanced catalysts.