28-01-2013
SABIC takes innovation to next level with four new technology centers set for opening this year
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation will launch four new state-of-the-art technology and innovation facilities in 2013, two in Saudi Arabia and one each in India and China, bringing the total number of its research facilities around the world to 18.
The four new centers represent a strategic investment of around half a billion US dollars to continuously improve technology, applications and solutions and meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated marketplace, as well as address a wide variety of sustainability issues.
Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, said that by continuing to invest in technology and innovation, SABIC is driving ingenuity forward to meet specific needs of customers as well as society. “These four new facilities will further empower our global technology and innovation centers to build on their innovative systems to develop new technologies, improve manufacturing processes, and contribute to a sustainable environment for our communities.”
The two centers in Saudi Arabia are the Corporate Research & Innovation Center (CRI) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, near Jeddah, and the other, the SABIC Plastic Applications Development Center (SPADC) in Riyadh Techno Valley at King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh.
Ernesto Occhiello, SABIC Executive Vice President, Technology and Innovation, explained that the CRI, scheduled for an April opening, “will seek to exchange experience and knowledge between the researchers at SABIC and KAUST, opening access to new technical competencies, blending academia with industry, tapping into new inventions made by academia, sourcing top talent and fresh ideas, and developing a community of excellence in upstream research.”
The SPADC, which is set to open in the second quarter of the year, aims to develop new applications and products that support SABIC’s business growth. Located adjacent to the Saudi Arabia’s largest university, King Saud University, it will enable SABIC to build closer links between academia and the industrial research community, Occhiello said.
The SPADC aims to be the center of excellence for automotive, packaging, consumer, construction, signage, and compounding. It will work closely with SABIC’s other Technology and Innovation centers to achieve set targets, including training customers and employees. The center will enable Saudi Arabia to enter advanced industrial fields, and support the National Industrial Clusters Development Program to develop industries such as packaging, automotive and machinery. It will help develop new plastics applications and extend technical support to local and international customers in various fields, including polymers, elastomers and specialty products.
“These new centers in Saudi Arabia are already creating around 150 professional jobs, and are a part of our plans to significantly boost research and technology in Saudi Arabia,” Occhiello said.
The Bangalore research center is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2013. It will deal with application development, strategic business research and corporate research and will focus primarily on diverse areas of research in chemistry, material science, process engineering, analytical and application technology. Its aim is to support business as a strategic center of excellence to cater to global and regional needs
The center in Shanghai will open in the third quarter of 2013. It will deal with application development, strategic business research and corporate research. It will focus on fundamental and applied research in support of SABIC’s Strategic Business Units as well as the company’s Technology and Innovation unit’s corporate projects.
“Bangalore and Shanghai centers, which will host around 500 professionals, are an indication of SABIC’s commitment to be the technology partner of choice for Asian partners as well as the employer of choice for the best talent from the region,” Occhiello said.
News Category:
-
Maximizing Performance in Oil & Gas with Real-Time Analytics
(Webinar) - In an industry shaped by fluctuating market conditions and tight operational margins, oil & gas producers are increasingly relying on data-driven strategies ...
11-06-2025
-
Unlocking the potential of waste for advanced conversion pathways
(Webinar) - This session offers a detailed exploration of HTW® gasification technology, a proven solution for converting diverse feedstocks into clean syngas, which ...
05-06-2025
-
hte and Heraeus Precious Metals collaborate on catalytic ammonia cracking
hte and precious metals specialist Heraeus Precious Metals signed a R&D service agreement. The main focus of this collaboration is the screening of different materials ...
20-05-2025
-
EDL Anlagenbau and Nuberg EPC collaboration to drive sustainable solutions
Nuberg EPC, headquartered in Delhi NCR, India, an engineering and industrial conglomerate and EDL Anlagenbau Gesellschaft mbH, based in Leipzig, Germany, one of the leading ...
20-05-2025
-
hte strengthens cooperation with Mitsubishi Chemical
hte – the high throughput experimentation company signed a contract with Mitsubishi Chemical to provide research services for the screening of MMA oxidation catalysts. ...
16-05-2025
-
ADNOC deepens energy partnerships with US Energy companies
ADNOC today announced multiple agreements with United States energy majors during the United Arab Emirates business dialogue with US President Donald J. Trump. The agreements ...
16-05-2025
-
VTTI moves to next phase for project Amplifhy following strong market interest
VTTI, a global leader in energy storage and infrastructure, is pleased to announce that following a strong market response to its request for expressions of interest, ...
15-05-2025
-
ABB selected as main automation contractor for one of the first industrial CCS clusters in the UK
ABB has been selected by integrated global energy company Eni as the main automation contractor for HyNet, one of the UK’s first industrial decarbonisation clusters ...
14-05-2025
-
Univation Technologies announces the next-generation of the UNIPOL™ PE process platform
Univation Technologies, LLC announces the next-generation of the UNIPOL™ PE Process platform with its newest world-scale licensed capacity offering of an 800,000 tonnes ...
12-05-2025
-
thyssenkrupp Uhde successfully commissions EnviNOx® emission reduction system
thyssenkrupp Uhde is proud to announce the successful commissioning of its EnviNOx® system for Covestro Polymers (China) Co. Ltd. at their nitric acid plant in Shanghai ...
12-05-2025