Shell Chemicals has strengthened its presence in the Middle East with a second polyol blending facility located in Jordan’s Aqaba Special Economic Free Zone, the first being in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone.

The Aqaba facility has been put up in collaboration with Solvochem, which provides Shell Chemicals with storage capacity for 4,000 tonnes of its products. Shell’s polyol products are sold under the brand name of Caradol. Polyol is the main raw material used in the manufacture of polyurethane foam for the furniture industry.
“Shell is the market leader in polyol sales in the Middle East and we do not intend to stand still but to increase our market share year on year to retain our leading position,” said Ghassan Ashqar, Shell Chemicals’ operations and commercial manager for the Middle East, according to a report on the blending unit published by the house journal Shell in the Middle East.
Ashqar also commented on his company’s e-business initiative “Customer Lounge,” which he said enabled customers to place orders, track their shipments and look closely at data safety documentation and product specifications as well as giving them access to a whole range of Shell Chemicals publications.
Solvochem is the logistics arm for Shell Chemicals in the Levant, storing Shell’s chemical products in three bulk terminals in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.
“Solvochem’s second initiative has been to generate increased business by installing a new drum-filling facility for Shell customers who do not require bulk deliveries by road tanker,” said Megid Medlej, Solvochem’s supply and delivery manager.
“Our third initiative has been to increase our storage facilities. Solvochem’s tank farm at the terminal is now bigger than before, with 37 tanks, five of which have been built in the last 12 months. Extra storage means less waiting time for our customers who need to be supplied quickly.
“So all three initiatives have helped our customers considerably and of course, have built good business for Shell. The timing was also good because market conditions were right due to an ever-growing demand for Shell products in the region.”
The blending plant was co-ordinated by Ramzi Khoury, Shell Chemicals sales executive for the Levant, who worked closely with Shell Chemicals’ technology division in Holland and with Solvochem.
“We have grown our sales of Caradol this year as a result of the installation of the new Shell Chemicals blending units at Solvochem’s terminal in the Aqaba Free Zone,” said Bassel Marto, managing director of Atlas Chemicals, Shell’s longest-serving agent in Jordan.
“The new blending facility unit means that the products are more readily available and we can deliver them to our customers more quickly instead of waiting for shipments from overseas.
“It also means that our customers do not have to store large quantities of polyol and invest a lot of money in warehousing,” said Marto.