SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Ultem* PEI Fiber Debuts in Japan Wool Textile Company’s New Work Wear Line, Weaving Together Comfort, Protection

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands – June 30, 2011 – SABIC Innovative Plastics today announced that its versatile, high-performance Ultem* polyetherimide (PEI) fiber has found an important new application in high-end work wear and protective clothing. Japan Wool Textile Company, a division of NIKKE Group, is now blending Ultem fiber with wool and other materials to produce yarn, fabrics and garments that offer a unique combination of comfort and protection, including permanent, non-halogenated flame retardance (FR) and excellent ultraviolet (UV) resistance. Unlike traditional aramid materials, Ultem fiber can be easily and cost-effectively colored in a wide range of shades using conventional polyester dyeing processes, enabling Japan Wool Textile Company to enhance the aesthetic appeal of its new line. SABIC Innovative Plastics continues to penetrate and grow new market segments and expand the range of applications for its globally proven Ultem resin technology to give customers innovative new options for product differentiation and exceptional performance.

“The work wear and protective clothing sector has outgrown traditional materials, and our Ultem fiber offers a significantly better option,” said Kim Choate, global product marketing manager, SABIC Innovative Plastics. “This flexible, soft and colorable fiber provides superior comfort and aesthetics, plus sustainable FR technology and the highest level of protection and durability for workers in safety-focused industries such as oil and gas and chemicals. We foresee many other uses for this versatile fiber, which has already broken new ground in composite aerospace boards for aviation interiors, filtration media and other demanding applications.”

“Following a rigorous development process, we launched a completely new flame-retardant material by using Ultem fiber,” said Takanobu Matsumoto, general manager, Japan Wool Textile Company. “Particularly in the areas of improved comfort and colorability, our new work wear products will provide major benefits for customers and address unmet market needs. This SABIC Innovative Plastics technology has also helped us to establish an overseas market for our work wear.”

Japan Wool Textile currently offers shirts, trousers, jackets and coveralls in an Ultem fiber-rich blend, as well as yarn and woven fabrics.

Tough on Protection, Easy on the Worker

Ultem fiber’s unique combination of properties fills a longstanding need in the high-end work wear marketplace. Traditional work wear, particularly clothes made from meta-aramids, are stiff and uncomfortable. They also are difficult to dye, thus limiting the ability to produce custom-colored items that support a company’s brand. In contrast, Ultem fiber is soft and flexible for improved wearability, and can be dyed in many different colors using existing infrastructure, helping to drive down system costs. It resists degradation from UV light, making the material a potential candidate for outdoor wear.

Ultem fiber is inherently and permanently flame retardant. It utilizes proprietary technology that avoids the addition of environmentally hazardous halogens and cannot wash out of the garment, as many FR agents in low-end fabrics can.

This material offers excellent heat resistance meeting the European Union (EU) EN 531/ISO 11612 and U.S. National Fire and Protection Association (NFPA) 2112 standards, and provides low smoke and toxicity performance.

For additional information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Ultem fiber products, please go to www.sabic-ip.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.

About SABIC Innovative Plastics
SABIC Innovative Plastics is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with an 80-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).
About Saudi Basic Industries Corporation
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies, and is a global market leader in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene, advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers. SABIC manufactures with a global footprint in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with 33,000 employees worldwide. It has significant research resources with 18 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, India and China. SABIC recorded a net income of SR 21.59 billion(US$ 5.73 billion) in 2010, and sales revenues totaled SR 152 billion (US$ 40.5 billion).

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* Trademarks of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP B.V.

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This release was published on openPR.