SABIC Supports Poland’s Growing Film Market with Full Portfolio of Innovative Materials and Reliable Supplies

Sittard, the Netherlands – December 2, 2010 – Here at the inaugural AddFilm 2010 (Warsaw, Poland) technical conference for the film and plastics industry, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is highlighting its broad portfolio of materials for BOPP, cast, blown, stretch and multi-layer film that support Poland’s growing film sector. SABIC’s expanding array of innovative high-density, low-density and linear low-density polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP) resins will be detailed in six presentations by the company’s dedicated Poland team, led by Managing Director Sales Office Poland, Piotr Kwiecien. The company offers Polish converters a reliable source of supply from its logistical hub in Kutno, and provides developmental product assistance and other technical expertise from its office in Sittard, The Netherlands.

The SABIC presenters will cover the following business and technical topics: Poland’s film industry and SABIC’s leadership in this market; new multi-layer film concepts; SABIC’s new bi-modal HDPE film grades; new random copolymer PP materials for cast film and BOPP; new developments in stretch film; and blown film advances using LDPE and LLDPE.

SABIC is a major partner in the new AddFilm conference, demonstrating its strong committment to Poland and its rapidly expanding film industry. To meet customer needs, the company operates its local logistical hub for faster provision of PE and PP resins to converters. In 2011, the company will begin supplying additional LDPE to the Polish market from Kutno as well, produced from its plant in Teesside, UK. Also, SABIC has established strong partnerships throughout Europe with leading machinery manufacturers – including Hosokawa Alpine for multilayer film and bimodal HDPE film and Gruppo Colines for stretch film – to optimize its materials and better serve the industry, which has had a very positive effect on the development of the Polish film market.

“SABIC offers the most comprehensive portfolio for all types of film, giving our customers a one-stop shop for all their resin needs,” said Kwiecien. “We support our portfolio with global reach, financial stability and reliable access to Middle East feedstocks to ensure a steady, long-term supply of resins. We continue to develop new grades and concepts, such as five-layer film, and offer solutions that enhance sustainability and reduce system costs.”


Innovative Materials Promote New Film Technologies

SABIC has introduced several new products to drive innovation in film. For example, the company recently announced two new random copolymer PP grades for cast film and BOPP film applications that can help meet growing demand for advanced film technologies such as multi-layer constructions, and for improved aesthetics and versatility. They provide significant advantages over homopolymers in a wide range of packaging applications, enabling converters to produce film with high clarity and exceptional sealing and puncture resistance performance.

SABIC also recently unveiled pioneering multi-layer concepts in LDPE/LLDPE films that enables manufacturers to achieve significant cost and material savings through improved downgauging options, lower energy consumption and higher processing speeds. These concepts, comprised of up to five layers support film packaging applications in numerous film segments.

“SABIC is strongly focused on improving the sustainability of its materials and helping customers achieve their environmental objectives,” said Krzysztof Rozensal, Technical Marketing Engineer. “Our multi-layer concepts promote thinner constructions that reduce material use while delivering high performance. These concepts also feature LDPE materials produced with SABIC’s state-of-the-art polyethylene tubular technology that reduces air emissions significantly while minimizing energy consumption and waste.”

“SABIC is also developing a new LLDPE material for cast film that will offer converters lower system costs through a combination of desirable properties,” noted Rozensal “Our investment in new products, together with key industry partnerships and local infrastructure, are all proof of SABIC’s strong commitment to film solutions that drive down costs for customers and provide enhanced performance for end users.”

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 film 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

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This release was published on openPR.