SABIC opens first polyacetal plant in the Middle East

SABIC inaugurated the first ever polyacetal plant in the Middle East and Africa region at its joint venture manufacturing affiliate, The National Methanol Company (Ibn Sina), in Jubail, marking another milestone in its growth strategy in the highly competitive global engineering thermoplastics industry.

The new plant, with a capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes, was opened with a ceremony in the presence of Yousef Al-Benyan, vice chairman and CEO, SABIC, SABIC executives and representatives from the joint venture partner, CTE, which is jointly owned by Celanese Corporation and Duke Energy.

The new plant reflects SABIC’s 2025 strategy to provide new polymer solutions that answer customer challenges for changing market requirements, while supporting the development of local content in national industries, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, executive vice president of petrochemicals at SABIC, commented: “The start-up of the plant reflects our strategic commitment to diversify our solutions. We seek to create long-term value for our customers in a range of industries, including automotive, building and construction, consumer goods, appliances and lighting. This is how we create Chemistry that Matters.”

Marcel van Amerongen, vice president, Celanese, added: “Ibn Sina is a fine example of successful collaboration between two large industrial companies by combining knowledge and a strong commitment. The new plant is expected to make a long-term contribution to the local economy and support the growth of the plastics industry.”

Polyacetal is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic material that has the potential to replace metal in many applications due to its high strength, exceptional dimensional stability and ease of machining. It makes an excellent candidate for applications in diverse industries such as automotive, construction, electronics, appliances, commodities, and consumer goods.