GE completes sale of plastics business to SABIC at $11.6 billion
General Electric Company
announced on Friday(8/31) it had completed the sale of its
plastics business to Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC),
in a deal valued at $11.6 billion in cash plus assumption of
liabilities.
GE previously announced it would use the proceeds from the sale
to complete its current $27 billion stock buyback program, with
$12 billion of the $14 billion planned for 2007 coming in the
second half of this year.
Launch of SABIC INNOVATIVE PLASTICS expands SABIC's global presence
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) today announced the completion of its purchase of GE Plastics from General Electric for a purchase price of US$11.6 billion. The announcement was made by SABIC Chairman, HH Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Thenayan Al-Saud.
The former GE unit is now SABIC Innovative Plastics, a new business addition to SABIC that will focus on the global growth of thermoplastics and engineering plastics through innovation to serve the automotive, electronics, healthcare, and construction sectors. Brian Gladden has been appointed CEO of SABIC Innovative Plastics.
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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 to build new PP compounding plant in Genk
SABIC is to build a new
compounding plant in Genk, Belgium. The plant will have an
initial production capacity of 110kt SABIC PP
compound and
30kt
of SABIC STAMAX long glass fiber PP. It is expected to come on-stream
at the beginning of 2010.
It will also be capable of housing an additional compounding line
in the future taking its ultimate capacity in excess of 170Ktes”
continued Mark.
Sabic IP: Final European ABS production unit to close
Sabic Innovative Plastics is to cease manufacturing ABS in Europe through the closure of its Grangemouth / UK facility from 31 July 2009. The action will result in the loss of 95 jobs.
SIP acquired the site in 2007 when it purchased GE Plastics, who had taken over the facility when it bought the plastics and chemicals operations of Borg-Warner in 1988. ABS production at Bergen op Zoom / The Netherlands was shut down by GE Plastics in 2003 and in 2008 manufacture was ended at SIP’s Villers-Saint-Sulpice / France site.
SABIC opens second PEI plant in Spain
Capacity for SABIC
Innovative Plastics' Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) is expanded 35 per cent with the opening yesterday of the
company's new Eur 300 million facility at Cartagena,
Spain. This is SABIC's second Ultem plant.
The first, with a capacity of around 150,000 tonnes, was opened at Cartagena by GE
Plastics in 1999 and later doubled in capacity. Cartagena was set in
2004 as the site of a new world scale plant to open originally in
2007.
The new plant also encompasses scalable capacity for producing
ultra-high-performance Extem grades (非晶性熱可塑性ポリイミド（TPI）) and speciality intermediates
(anhydrides) used for modification of coatings, adhesives or
thermosets or as the base chemical for other polymers,
pharmaceuticals or pigments.
The PEI produced at Cartagena will be in base form for
compounding by SABIC at Cartagena and other plants globally with
colorants, reinforcements, etc, or through SABIC's LNP specialty
compounds business into compounds with attributes such as
inherent electrostatic dissipative performance, lubricity and
thermal conductivity.
ポリエーテルイミドは4.4'〔イソプロピリデンビス（P−フェニレンオキシ）〕ジフタル酸二無水物とメタフェニレンジアミンとの縮合により得られる熱可塑性、高耐熱性のエンジニアリングプラスチック。
SABIC Innovative Plasticsがウルテムという商品名で販売。
ポリエーテルイミドの特徴は、琥珀色の透明な非晶質樹脂で、高耐熱性（HDT：200℃）、耐汚染性（汚れがつきにくい）、耐化学薬品性、耐加水分解性が高く、リサイクルが可能というほか、樹脂そのものが難燃性を持っている。
2014/5/30
Received the following comment:
Ultem PEI was first made in Mt Vernon, Indiana and the capacity there is approximately 14,000 tonnes. The Cartagena, Spain plant is 5,000 tonnes.
SABIC and Chongqing Government Sign
Memorandum of Understanding To Build Engineering Thermoplastics Compounding
Plant
SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business, Chongqing Xiyong Micro-electronics
Industrial Park, and the Chongqing Economic and Informatization Commission today
announced a memorandum of understanding where SABIC would establish
an engineering thermoplastics compounding plant in
Chongqing, China. The move supports the Chinese government’s 12th
Five-Year Plan to expand into the country’s western region and reinforces
SABIC’s commitment to build on its long heritage of serving this important
marketplace with innovative and consistently high-quality materials solutions.
Chongqing has already established itself as an important industrial hub for
global computer, consumer electronics and automotive manufacturers – critical
industry segments that SABIC has long served with local materials technology and
manufacturing, application development expertise, and design assistance.
This is SABIC’s third Chinese engineering thermoplastics
investment this year. Earlier announcements include SABIC’s memorandum of
understanding with Sinopec to collaborate on polycarbonate production in China.
A joint investment between both companies would fund a new polycarbonate product
plant with an annual capacity of 260 kilo-metric tons.
2011/5/26 SABICとSinopec、天津でポリカーボネート生産
The second announcement was investments
in new production lines for SABIC’s
Lexan polycarbonate resins and films in both Shanghai and Nansha in 2012.
This comes on the heels of a similar Lexan compounding
expansion in Nansha late last year.
The new compounding plant, which is expected to be online in 2013, will produce
several of SABIC’s world-class polycarbonate, polycarbonate blends and other
high-quality engineering thermoplastics to provide easier access for southwest
China customers. The site will have compounding lines, color development
capabilities, and advanced equipment enabling SABIC to work with their customers
and partners to create new applications for engineering plastics.
Sabic and the Chongqing city government jointly announced the investment Oct. 21, but the spokesman said the factory will be wholly-owned by Sabic. The compounding plant will be located in the Chongqing Western Microelectronics Industrial Park.
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SABIC Announces Polycarbonate Capacity Expansions in Asia to Support Region’s Strong Growth Trajectory
The Innovative Plastics strategic business unit of SABIC today announced here at Chinaplas 2011, booth 10.2E21, that it is adding new production lines of the company’s world-renowned Lexan* polycarbonate (PC) resins and films in Shanghai and Nansha, China. These additions are part of the company’s strategy to support the dynamic growth of key plastics sectors in this region, particularly the consumer electronics, electrical, solar, security and automotive industries. Building on over 80 years of advanced technology breakthroughs, Innovative Plastics continues to be a leader in the plastics industry with its flagship PC material. It is continually developing distinctive new Lexan material solutions to meet evolving technological, environmental, performance and regulatory challenges.
“Our nearly 60-year-old commitment to polycarbonate remains unmatched – from a relentless focus on innovation, to continued investments in global capacity, to a team of polycarbonate experts including a highly trained sales force, application development specialists, and process development engineers around the globe,” said William Russell, polycarbonate business leader, Innovative Plastics. “The size and diversity of our performance-rich Lexan polycarbonate material portfolio is an excellent case in point, illustrating how we deliver tailored materials solutions to meet our customers’ specific needs. These expansions will enable Innovative Plastics to provide a stronger, localized supply of Lexan resin and film to meet Asia’s accelerating demand of these tough, high-performance and versatile material technologies.”
Reliable Supplies of Lexan Resin Help Drive Asian Customer Growth
Innovative Plastics is adding dedicated compounding production lines of its iconic Lexan PC resin at its Shanghai facility in early 2012. This capacity increase will ensure ample, reliable supplies of Lexan resins and Lexan specialty copolymers to help drive Asian customer growth. This addition comes on the heels of a similar Lexan compounding expansion in Nansha in late 2010.
The company’s Lexan resin is known for its broad, global portfolio and is produced to meet increasing capacity demand for key industries including consumer electronics, electrical, solar and automotive. Lexan specialty copolymers provide extreme high heat resistance; excellent flow/ductility; virtually unbreakable impact strength; scratch protection; flame-smoke-toxicity performance; and ultra violet (UV) protection to higher levels. These high performance properties give customers exceptional design freedom to meet increasing consumer demand for top-performing products with eye-catching aesthetics.
Increased Production of High-Demand Specialty Films
Innovative Plastics is also adding a new, state-of-the-art extrusion line of Lexan PC optical quality (OQ) and textured film products to its Nansha facility, with subsequent capacity additions in Asia planned for 2012-2014. This new specialty film line, which opened in the first quarter of 2011, uses class 1,000 clean room technology to produce Lexan OQ optical performance film. The new production line makes custom textured materials and surface polished Lexan OQ films that can be embossed or selectively textured by screen printing for aesthetic purposes and a mar-resistant finish.
This expansion addresses accelerating market demand for specialty film materials for high-end film applications in consumer electronics, automotive and security segments where these materials are widely used in applications such as automotive navigational display units; notebook PCs; monitors; and liquid crystal display/light emitting diode (LCD/LED) TVs.
This Innovative Plastics investment of specialty film lines in Asia underscores the company’s commitment to the consumer electronics OEMs and converters by providing high-functional film products that can significantly reduce total system costs.
Since its invention in 1953 by Dr. Daniel Fox, Lexan PC resins have made history in diverse industries. The versatility, clarity and high performance of this unique material have led to thousands of applications for work and play. Today, the Lexan portfolio encompasses a tremendous range of resins, compounds, sheet products and films, many with specialized attributes such as non-halogenated flame retardance, low-temperature ductility, optical properties and special colors and effects.
November 1, 2011
SABIC Opens New Polypropylene Plant to Cater for the Growing Automotive Needs
SABIC's Innovative Plastics business today celebrated a major milestone with the
official opening of its specialty polypropylene (PP)
compounding operation at its Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi manufacturing site. The new compounding operation will supply
SABIC PP compounds and SABIC STAMAX* long glass fiber-filled PP (LGFPP)
composites for a wide range of automotive applications.
SABIC's new PP operation answers fast-accelerating demand from automotive OEMs
and tiers for local supply of globally-consistent PP materials in North America,
supporting production of both regional and global vehicle platforms. This is the
second time in 17 months that SABIC has opened a PP compounding facility, having
celebrated the start-up of its Genk, Belgium plant in June 2010. SABIC's PP
investments underscore the company's commitment to provide high-performance
materials that can help automotive OEMs pursue weight reduction opportunities
and achieve energy-efficient improvements in vehicles.
"In today's fast-paced automotive industry, we continually strive to help our
customers respond to new challenges and demands," said Gregory A. Adams, vice
president, Innovative Plastics, Automotive. "One of those challenges is the
movement of many OEMs towards global vehicle platforms, with the resulting
demand for high-quality, consistent materials that meet specifications across
multiple regions. With this investment in Bay St. Louis, we have significantly
boosted our capability to meet that demand and deliver even more responsiveness
to our global customers, their engineering teams, and suppliers."
Innovative Plastics installed the new PP capacity in Bay St. Louis by drawing
upon the design and technology of the company's Genk
plant, the largest greenfield PP compounding plant ever built in Europe.
This world-scale facility supplies PP compounds to Europe and SABIC STAMAX LGFPP
composites to Europe and Asia Pacific. Genk also houses a Compounding Innovation
Center with three pilot lines designed to speed the development cycle for new
products and processes.
"With the investment in Bay St. Louis, we have taken the expertise that we have
accumulated in Europe and the rest of the world and added it to North America,"
said Leon Jacobs, polypropylene global leader Innovative Plastics, Automotive.
"As a result, we have strengthened our ability to supply OEMs in this region
with the uniform polypropylene materials that meet global materials
specifications. Moving forward, these same customers will benefit from our
ability to develop global polypropylene products and deliver local support in
validating those materials, thanks to our globally integrated automotive
organization and globally networked application development centers."
Growing Use of PP Materials in Automotive
PP materials in the automotive sector have shown steady growth over several
decades - at about three to five percent per year, on average - and have
replaced metals and other polymers in various parts and components. PP's
versatility and ease of processing contribute to growing demand. Today, PP
compounds are the preferred solution in many automotive applications, including
bumper fascias, instrument panels (IPs), door panels, interior trim and other
parts. OEMs in Europe first used SABIC STAMAX LGFPP composites in the early
2000s, primarily for large molded parts such as front-end modules, door modules,
IP carriers, tailgates and seat structures. Demand has continued to grow, with
OEMs worldwide choosing SABIC STAMAX LGFPP composites for their outstanding
combination of strength, dimensional stability and high flow for thin-wall
structural parts.
SABIC STAMAX LGFPP composites offer several advantages over other materials in
automotive applications: weight savings and corrosion-resistance compared with
steel; greater design freedom as it can be injection-molded, compared to
compression-molded materials; lower costs because it needs fewer finishing
operations; high heat-deflection temperatures; low thermal expansion;
high-stiffness, impact resistance and tensile strength; and low creep.
"Automakers have enjoyed tremendous success with our polypropylene materials for
over three decades," said Jacobs. "We are excited to help customers in the NAFTA
countries tap into this proven portfolio of polypropylene solutions for the
development of cars in various world markets; and the timing could not be better
with OEMs exploring new opportunities for these materials in automotive
designs."
"New doors are opening for polypropylene and the broader category of
thermoplastic materials," Jacobs continued. "In components for hybrid and
electric vehicles; in the under-hood area where heat is not a critical factor;
and in semi-structural applications where polypropylene can allow for the
creation of highly integrated parts to further reduce mass and cost."
SABIC's portfolio of automotive plastics is one of the largest and most diverse
in the industry. In addition to PP materials, it includes a comprehensive range
of engineering thermoplastic resins. Combined, these polymers represent 60
percent of the plastics used today in vehicle construction and present
opportunities for innovative application development that can further drive out
weight and cost for next-generation vehicles.
February 12, 2013 Sabic Innovative
抗菌性レジン
SABIC Launches Portfolio of Antimicrobial Resin Grades at MD&M West to Help
Customers Enhance Safety of Healthcare Applications
According to a 2011 report by the World Health Organization, in 2002 in the
United States alone approximately 99,000 deaths were linked to healthcare
associated infections (医療関連感染 HCAIs).
Here at MD&M West (医療機器関連展示会 booth #1701), SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business
today introduced powerful new tools to help medical device manufacturers reduce
HCAIs among patients and clinicians.
SABIC’s nine new antimicrobial resin grades featuring silver technology have
been tested for log reduction values – the level of microbes eliminated from a
surface – according to the ISO 22196-2007 protocol. They comprise one of the
broadest antimicrobial portfolios in the industry and offer distinct advantages
over off-the-shelf antimicrobial concentrates combined with third-party resins.
Because SABIC scientists possess compounding expertise and a deep understanding
of base resin and antimicrobial additive chemistries, they can optimize
properties and performance to meet specific requirements. This new portfolio
demonstrates SABIC’s expertise and continued investment in developing healthcare
materials that can empower customers globally to meet the ongoing challenges of
infection prevention.
“We are proud of our vertically integrated approach, which delivers turnkey
antimicrobial compounds containing low or high concentrations of silver and
based on the four SABIC resins most commonly used in medical devices,” said
David Wildgoose, general manager, Engineering Resins, Innovative Plastics. “Our
solutions are backed by a robust healthcare product policy that provides a
‘formula lock’ and management of change provision to help OEMs avoid
requalification delays of up to 12 months. Our comprehensive solution delivers
multiple benefits to customers – consistency, cost-out, choice and proven
performance according ISO methodology. We are confident these materials will
make it easier for customers to create next-generation healthcare products while
staying ahead of regulatory requirements.”
Wide Selection of Antimicrobial Compounds
SABIC’s portfolio comprises nine different antimicrobial grades across four
product families:
LEXAN™ EXL copolymer,
LEXAN polycarbonate (PC) resin,
XENOY™ PC/polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin and
polypropylene (PP) resins with and without fiberglass reinforcement.
Five grades have a high antimicrobial effect (log reduction value above 4,
representing a 99.99 percent reduction in pathogens) and four grades have a low
antimicrobial effect (log reduction value below 4, representing a 99.0-99.99
percent reduction in pathogens). These options allow customers to select the
appropriate formulation depending on whether the end product is a high- or
low-touch application.
These resins leverage silver-based antimicrobial technology because silver is a
proven performer, well suited to diverse applications and widely accepted as a
broad-spectrum antimicrobial, with activity against many pathogens including
gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, mold and fungus. Because they are
formulated to be effective at the lowest concentration of silver, SABIC resins
may also be more cost-effective than competitive products.
Healthcare Product Policy for Added Confidence
SABIC’s antimicrobial resin grades are supported by its healthcare product
policy, which gives customers confidence that these materials meet global
standards for safety, are available in a consistently formulated supply and have
been pre-assessed for biocompatibility.
The SABIC Healthcare Product Policy provides:
• Easily identifiable product nomenclature (“H” or “PCG” series resins)
• Biocompatibility assessment according to ISO 10993 or USP Class VI
• Food contact compliance for most healthcare products
• FDA Drug Master File and/or Device Master File listing (letter of
authorization provided as needed)
• A formula lock and stringent management of change process
Compounding Surpasses Concentrates
Instead of mixing a third-party base resin with off-the-shelf concentrates,
which can lead to inconsistent performance, SABIC performs its own compounding
using proven, high-performance resins and additive chemistries. The benefits of
SABIC compounding over concentrates include uniform distribution of the additive
for better performance and less manufacturing waste.
By leveraging multiple material characteristics – such as impact resistance,
chemical resistance, custom colors and processability – and their interactions
with the additive while controlling the compounding process, SABIC can deliver
highly specialized performance properties, such as the duration and strength of
the antimicrobial. Of particular importance is SABIC’s expertise in color and
effects, which allows precise control over clarity, a property that can be
impacted by antimicrobials.
Potential applications include fluid and drug delivery applications, surgical
instruments, monitoring and imaging devices and durable medical equipment such
as hospital beds and operating tables. Other potential applications outside of
healthcare include consumer electronics, automobile interiors, business
equipment such as copiers or ATMs, or any other surface where there is a desire
to reduce the potential transference of pathogens.
SABIC’s new antimicrobial resins are manufactured in the United States.
For additional information on SABIC’s antimicrobial resin grades, please go to
www.sabic-ip.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at
www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.
For more information contact:
About SABIC
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top
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 24.72 billion (US$ 6.59 billion) in 2012.
Sales revenues for 2012 totaled SR 189 billion (US$ 50.40 billion). Total assets
stood at SR 338 billion (US$ 90.13 billion) at the end of 2012.
SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals,
Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research
resources with 17 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia,
the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India and South Korea. The company
operates in more than 40 countries across the world with around 40,000 employees
worldwide.
SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and
Asia Pacific.
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 Innovative Plastics
SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is a leading, global supplier of
engineering thermoplastics with an 80-year history of breakthrough solutions
that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, 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
Healthcare, Transportation, Automotive, Electrical, Lighting and Consumer
Electronics. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic
resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com)
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).