Sabic has announced its new specialty compounding plant in Belgium will be starting up by the end of 2009.The plant will produce Stamax long glass fibre reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites and Sabic PPcompound.
The facility is the biggest greenfield compounding plant ever built in Europe and demonstrates the company’s commitment to the automotive industry and to becoming a leading player in the global automotive field, a Sabic statement said.
The plant, built in Genk, will have a name plate capacity of 140,000 tonnes per year, and help meet the needs of its automotive customers in Western and Eastern Europe.
“Due to the present economic climate the need for a secured supply is greater than ever before. Sabic - despite the softening market - has continued to invest in the future and is capable of providing the automotive market with that security” said Leon Jacobs, global business director Sabic PP Automotive.
Sabic is the preferred supplier for many OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, providing them with high-quality PPcompound materials to produce bumper fascias, instrument panels, door panels, interior trims and other automotive applications.
“The market demand for Stamax composites is growing at a double-digit rate, because of their outstanding combination of excellent strength, dimensional stability and high flow for thin-wall structural parts,” said a Sabic statement.
Stamax enables the design of applications that combine light weight with functional integration, such as front-end modules, instrument panel carriers, door modules, tailgates and seating systems.
Innovation centre
The Belgian facility will also include a state-of-the-art Compounding Innovation Centre. “Key in the automotive industry is the ongoing development of value-creating solutions that deliver highest perceived quality while saving weight and reducing system costs,” explained Kees Verbraak, manager, general technical marketing, Sabic PP Automotive. The modern innovation facilities will enable Sabic to offer customers an even more customised product portfolio and tailored service.
“Sabic’s investment is a major step to becoming a preferred, long-term, global supplier to the worldwide automotive industry,” said a Sabic statement. In addition to the Belgian plant, Sabic is investigating the expansion of its PP compounding facilities in amongst others the United States and China.
