Not long after Saudi Industrial Resins Limited (SIR) completed a significant capacity upgrade, the company has embarked again on another round of expansion.
SIR had commissioned in 2008 a 30 per cent capacity increase that raised total capacity to between 65,000 tonnes and 75,000 tonnes depending on the product mix.
That addition strengthened the company’s position as the leading supplier of unsaturated polyester resins and vinylester resins in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Now the company says it has launched another expansion project that will add significant capacity to its annual capability.
Saudi Industrial Resins is a joint venture between global specialty chemical company Ashland Inc and several private Saudi Arabia shareholders. The company manufactures unsaturated polyester resins and epoxy vinylester resins, which are consumed by the composites sector. Major applications are in glass- or fiber-reinforced plastics (GRP or FRP), of which the biggest volume goes to the pipe manufacturers.
In addition to its successful locally-produced Siropol and Hetron ranges, manufactured under licence from Ashland, SIR distributes a wide range of composite auxiliaries - including glassfiber, catalysts, and accelerators. The company also distributes Ashland’s Derakane range.
The company’s production facilities are in Jeddah and Jubail. “The ongoing expansion will add very significant new vinylester swing capacity,” says SIR managing director Nick Judd. “Existing site-infrastructures allow the company to add capacity at relatively low cost and in minimal time.”
SIR received substantial capital from its shareholders to fund the projects underway. The company’s expansion projects in other significant regional markets, and into additional product ranges, are progressing rapidly, Judd says.
New testing facilities
As part of the company’s ongoing development, SIR has invested in new composite testing facilities. These, Judd says, will allow the company to continue to upgrade its technical service and product-customisation capabilities to guarantee that it continues to be a leader in the provision of fit-for-purpose quality materials. The company’s technical association with Ashland ensures its access to global leading-edge polyester and vinylester technologies, supplemented by an ability to customise materials to local conditions.
“Joint product-development projects, underway with several leading regional resin consumers, emphasise SIR’s and Ashland’s joint technical strengths,” said the official.
SIR is well-supported by the increasing range of petrochemical-based raw materials, produced in Saudi Arabia from low-cost feedstocks.
Strong infrastructure development throughout the region has placed GCC polyester manufacturers under pressure for further availability, although the current “depression” has resulted in over-capacity, Judd said.
“As an ISO-9002 company, SIR continuously reviews and improves its business processes, to ensure that its customer service abilities improve.”
Ashland Inc is a diversified, global chemical company, providing products, services and solutions to customers in more than 100 countries. A Fortune 500 company, it operates through four divisions: Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Distribution, Valvoline, and Ashland Water Technologies.
