SABIC Innovative Plastics Expands Local Manufacturing and Application Development Capabilities

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands – April 23, 2008 – China’s thriving economy is driving demand across multiple industries for fast access to high-performance plastics and value-added development services. At Chinaplas 2008, Stand #W2G31, SABIC Innovative Plastics announced a multi-pronged strategy to meet these customer needs through expansion of local expertise and product fulfillment. The company is adding significant production capability to its plant in Pudong, Shanghai: a new facility housing four extrusion lines that will begin operations this month. SABIC Innovative Plastics will also expand its China Technology Center, located here, with the creation of a new Center of Excellence focused on notebook computers. The company’s continued investment in application development and production resources will provide customers in Greater China and Asia with faster procurement and outstanding technical support.

“Asia is a major strategic focus for SABIC Innovative Plastics, where we are demonstrating our commitment by locating new production facilities and services close to customers to work with them as long-term partners.” said Alan Leung, Pacific president for SABIC Innovative Plastics. “Our goals are to help automotive, electrical/electronics, and other leading OEMs and molders reduce time to market for their products and achieve a major competitive advantage by leveraging end-to-end development expertise. Our mission is to continue to leverage this expertise as engineering plastics pioneers to drive our customer-focused initiatives forward, evidenced by the recent opening of the new production lines in Chung-ju, Korea, to make LNP* Verton* composites readily available to Asian customers.”

New Production Facility Leverages Lean Manufacturing Design

The new extrusion facility will produce a range of resins for the automotive and electrical/electronics sectors. It is the first SABIC Innovative Plastics site created using Lean manufacturing design, an approach is that completely different from traditional models. Lean manufacturing allows for the production of small lot orders, the flexibility to change production very quickly, and enables a continuous process for manufacturing and delivery to the customer, reducing cycle time for producing materials.

Center of Excellence Targets Notebook Computer Innovation

More than 80 percent of the world’s notebook PCs are produced in China. To support application innovation, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Center of Excellence will offer comprehensive design, material specification, testing, and processing expertise. Because of its location in the China Technology Center, the new Center of Excellence will be able to draw upon resources such as polymer formulation and color and effect development. Customers can work with SABIC Innovative Plastics’ experts to create and validate new applications, reducing innovation development cycle times, and boosting their competitive differentiation.

Future Focus

SABIC Innovative Plastics will establish a new, world-class Research, Development and Customer Technology Center (CTC) in Shanghai by the end of 2010. The new facility will also serve as the Asia Pacific headquarters for SABIC Innovative Plastics. It will be the focal point for the company’s rapid growth and expansion in Asia, and will house global R&D activities supporting the needs of global customers. This new facility investment clearly reaffirms SABIC Innovative Plastics’ commitment to customers in the region with expanded capabilities beyond those offered at the current CTC. It will also be the center of SABIC Innovative Plastics’ future application development activities here.

“Our continued investments in China will accelerate SABIC Innovative Plastics’ long tradition of supporting our Chinese and global customers in the region with the innovative product solutions and outstanding technical support they need to succeed,” Leung added. “Their success is our success and the ultimate measure of our achievement.”

For more information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ resins and composites, please visit the company’s website at www.sabic-ip.com.

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SABIC Innovative Plastics Media Contacts
The Americas
Christopher Tessier
SABIC Innovative Plastics, Pittsfield, Mass.
Tel: +1 413 448 6926
E-Mail: christopher.tessier@sabic-ip.com

Europe
Helen Vandebovenkamp
SABIC Innovative Plastics, Bergen op Zoom,
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 164 292 097
E-Mail: helen.vandebovenkamp@sabic-ip.com

Asia
Cecilia Siu
SABIC Innovative Plastics, Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 213 222 4500 Ext. 216
E-Mail: cecilia.siu@sabic-ip.com

Agency Media Contacts
The Americas
Jim Allison
AH&M Marketing Communications,
Pittsfield, Mass.
Tel: +1 413 448 2260, Ext. 25
E-Mail: jallison@ahminc.com

Brazil
Gabriela Bruschi
Edelman Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Tel: 55 11 3017-5300, x221
E-Mail: gabriela.bruschi@edelman

Europe
Tessa Vroegop
Marketing Solutions, Bergen op Zoom,
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 164 317 013
E-Mail: tvroegop@marketingsolutions.be

Japan
Mitsu Sugino
Tokyo PR Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81 332 732 731
E-Mail: sugino@tokyopr.co.jp

China
Shona Liu
Edelman, Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21 6289 2929 x470
E-Mail: shona.liu@edelman.com

About SABIC Innovative Plastics

SABIC Innovative Plastics is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building and construction, telecommunications and optical media applications. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP line of high-performance specialty compounds, under such well known brand names as Lexan*, Cycolac*, Geloy*, Noryl*, Cycoloy*, Valox* and Ultem*.

The Specialty Film and Sheet division of SABIC Innovative Plastics manufactures high-performance Lexan sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide. The dedicated automotive organization is an experienced, worldwide supplier, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting.

SABIC Innovative Plastics is part of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the 10 largest petrochemicals manufacturers in the world.

* Trademarks of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP BV.

Media Note: The proper name of the company is SABIC Innovative Plastics, and excludes any abbreviations or variations when referring to the company. As an acronym, SABIC should be all caps whenever it appears in print.

This release was published on openPR.