Saudi group pushes into polyethylene

06/07/2015
Chemical group Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) has formed a new joint-venture operation with South Korean petrochemical manufacturer SK Global Chemical to produce polyethylene products, with footwear one of the likely application markets.

Total investment will be about $640 million for the technology and plant construction, SABIC said in a statement to Reuters.

The joint venture, which will have its headquarters in Singapore, is expected to operate a series of manufacturing plants, the first of which was recently completed by SK Global Chemical at its complex in Ulsan, South Korea, with an expected annual capacity of 230,000 tonnes. The plants will produce metallocene linear low density polyethylene, polyolefin plastomers and polyolefin elastomers that will meet the growing needs of diverse industries, including footwear.