SABIC Innovative Plastics Boosts Ultem* Resin Capacity by 35% at New World-Scale Cartagena Facility to Meet Growing European, World Demand

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands – September 23, 2010 — Launching a new chapter in the history of one of its most renowned materials, SABIC Innovative Plastics today cut the ribbon at its new Ultem* polyetherimide (PEI) resin production facility here in Cartagena. This much-anticipated event marks a 35 percent increase in Ultem resin capacity for European and global customers. The state-of-the-art 300 million Euros facility, which is SABIC Innovative Plastics’ second Ultem resin plant, will provide customers with higher supply dependability. The plant also encompasses scalable capacity for producing ultra-high-performance Extem* resin grades and specialty intermediates (anhydrides). Proprietary process chemistry and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies will improve operating reliability and flexibility while minimizing the environmental impact of by-products. This major investment demonstrates the company’s unyielding commitment to reliable, scalable supplies of its Ultem and Extem resin grades, whose outstanding performance is driving ever-greater demand from global customers.

“Today represents a very significant milestone in SABIC Innovative Plastics as we open our second world class “Ultra High Performance” resins plant at our Cartagena, Spain site,” said Charlie Crew, President and CEO of SABIC Innovative Plastics. “ We will manufacture our Ultem (polyetherimide) resins immediately and have the capability to make Extem (polyimide) resins and other high heat polymers in the future at this facility to support our global customers who require high temperature and high strength in their demanding applications. These resins will also be used in a variety of compounds that we will manufacture in Spain and other global compounding sites to serve our customers around the world. Our commitment to innovation through new product technologies is stronger than ever. This new facility demonstrates the significant investments we at SABIC Innovative Plastics are making to better serve our customers with materials solutions to help them innovate and grow.”

Ultem Resin, Extem Resin Blends and Intermediates

The Cartagena plant will primarily produce Ultem base resin, a proven material that offers the highest performance across a balance of properties of virtually any thermoplastic in the global plastics industry. The Ultem resin can then be compounded into customized compounds with colorants, reinforcements, etc., at the SABIC Innovative Plastics compounding facility in the Cartagena complex or at other global facilities. Ultem resin is available in fiber, foam, film, fabric and paper forms at other global SABIC Innovative Plastics or value chain partner facilities. Further, the material can be enhanced with special attributes such as inherent electrostatic dissipative performance, lubricity and thermal conductivity, provided by the company’s LNP* specialty compounds business.

Ultem resins have been taking customer applications to new levels of performance in the consumer electronics, electrical, healthcare and transportation segments for more than 30 years. Today, with higher performance properties and expansion into non-injection-molded technologies, Ultem resin is meeting customer needs in emerging segments such as alternative energy, LED lighting and aerospace interiors.

In addition to Ultem base resin, the new plant can produce Extem resin grades, which offer exceptionally high temperature resistance and other desirable properties for the most demanding applications in the semiconductor, transportation and electrical/electronics sectors, among others. Scalability to produce large volumes of Extem resins has been built into the facility.

Further, SABIC Innovative Plastics will derive unique, high-purity anhydrides from the manufacturing process for Ultem resin. These specialized intermediates can be used for modification of coatings, adhesives or thermosets or as the base chemical for other polymers pharmaceuticals or pigments.

For additional information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Ultem and Extem resins, please go to www.sabic-ip.com.

SABIC Innovative Plastics is exhibiting at K’ 2010 in Düsseldorf, Germany
in Hall 6, Stand D42.

For K2010 SABIC’s focus is a Culture of Innovation, which means investing in Growth, Technology, Sustainability and Customer Focus. We help our customers to innovate, differentiate their applications and optimize costs by:
• investing in global expansion,
• providing the broadest product portfolio that delivers better performance and adds value,
• developing environmentally responsible products and solutions that provide significant and measurable performance advantages,
• working closely with our customers to build long-term relationships and lasting partnerships

About SABIC Innovative Plastics

SABIC Innovative Plastics is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with a 75-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, SABIC Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. SABIC Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the world’s top six petrochemicals manufacturers.

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* Trademarks of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP BV.

SABIC Innovative Plastics
Plasticslaan 1
4612 PX
Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands

Europe
Kevin Noels
Marketing Solutions
Lelyweg 6
4612 PS
Bergen op Zoom
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 164 317 011
E-Mail: knoels@marketingsolutions.be

This release was published on openPR.