SABIC inaugurated the first polyacetal (POM) plant in the Middle East and Africa region at its joint venture manufacturing affiliate, The National Methanol Company (Ibn Sina), in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant has a capacity of 50,000 metric tons.

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 is used in diverse industries such as automotive, construction, electronics, appliances, commodities, and consumer goods.

SABIC also announced a new research agreement with Ahmed F. Ghoniem, the Ronald C. Crane Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for Energy and Propulsion Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA. The research marks the fourth research agreement currently active between SABIC and MIT. Their relationship spans seven years. SABIC is interested in converting natural gas to high valued olefins, and is partnering with MIT to test a novel pyrolysis reactor developed at SABIC for this purpose.

By 2025, SABIC plans to increase production capacity 70 %. New joint-ventures, shale gas projects in the US, and acquisitions could supplement the company’s growth. It’s also been said that Andrew Liveris, longtime CEO of Dow Chemical, was hired by SABIC as an adviser after he departs DowDuPont on July 1.

• Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), Saudi Arabia