Production at a Rowad Group plant in Dammam to manufacture BOPP (bi-axially oriented polypropylene) film is expected to begin soon, an official of the group said.

Rowad Global Packaging Company, owned 78 per cent by Riyadh-based Rowad with the balance stake held by a European company, has a designed capacity of 35,000 tonnes for its plant. An 8.7 m line will produce BOPP film for printing, lamination, packaging and coating. Metalised film will also be manufactured.

Another similar line will be installed in time to begin production in 2011, according to Ghalib Eid, marketing research manager.

BOPP demonstrates excellent clarity, high tensile strength, good dimensional stability, flatness and heat sealability making it ideal for labels and packaging of food, wet towels and tobacco among other things.

“BOPP production will be high on quality and represent an experience vertical to our existing products,” said Eid.

Rowad Global Packaging joins four other Rowad divisions which cover the manufacture of plastic sheets such as polycarbonate, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polystyrene;  the manufacture of injection moulded products including battery cases and paint pails; recycling of products such as automotive batteries and the production of geomembrane liners from high- and low-density polyethylene.

Production of BOPP film will soon begin at a Rowad plant

The company responsible for making plastic sheets and injection moulded products and for recycling is Al Rowad National Plastic Company, which is fully owned by Tasnee, while geomembrane liners are made by Rowad International Geosynthetic Company, owned 70 per cent by Rowad and 30 per cent by Golden Trade Company.

Sales exceed SR150 million
Total Rowad sales exceeded SR150 million and are expected to record SR200 million this year, according to Eid.

Some 45 per cent of the sales of Rowad plastic products are attributed to exports, the items going to markets in the Mena region, South Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

“As a major producer of plastic sheets where our products are very distinguished, we launched our geomembrane liner which is considered unique in the region and complies with international standards,” said Eid.

Most of the raw material used by Rowad divisions is sourced in Saudi Arabia itself while some material is imported from other Gulf states and internationally.

Rowad National Plastic Company, established in 1994, has a production capacity of 17,500 tonnes annually from facilities in Riyadh and Dammam. Sales were valued at SR144 million in 2009.

Its polycarbonate sheets are made to a width of up to 2.05 m and thickness varying from 0.7 mm to 10 mm.

Applications include swimming pool and stadium roofing, skylight domes and canopies, interior and exterior of windows, partitions, automobile components, insulation panels and medical and computer components. Its acrylic sheets come in nearly the same dimensions and are used for decorative signwork and display, window glazing, sanitary ware, light covers and skylight and partitions.

The polypropylene recycling section

The company’s high impact polystyrene sheet is used in refrigerator components, furniture, jewellery boxes and food packaging. The sheets commonly come in widths of up to 2.05 m and thickness varying from 0.3 mm to 10 mm.

Rowad’s ABS sheets have the same dimensions as the previous product and embrace a wide range of applications from refrigerator inner liners to automobile components, luggage, cosmetic packaging, telecom components and appliances.

The company makes battery cases suitable for the manufacture of a wide range of automobile batteries that can be used with light, medium and heavy vehicles. They are made from high-quality co-polymers with excellent chemical resistance. The products meet JIS, American and DIN standards.

Rowad’s paint pails have uses beyond paint and can be used to fill food, lubricants, fertilisers and detergents, among oter things. They come in attractive multicolour printing with covers available with flex spout. Opening is accomplished by a tearaway strip and the pails have a leak-proof design with an airtight option.

Green contribution
Rowad is contributing to the environment by the installation of fully automatic state-of-the-art machinery for recycling PP automotive batteries and plastic lamps. The finished product is of high quality and second only to virgin raw materials.  Production capacity for recycling is 7,000 tonnes but later this year the figure will rise to 13,000 tonnes. The recycled granules are of injection grade, film grade and extrusion grade.

Rowad International Geosynthetics Co’s production facilities are located in Dammam’s second industrial zone. The liners have an astonishing range of applications including landfill, golf course lakes and ponds, lagoons, water treatment reservoirs, tank linings, common effluent treatment plants and fish hatcheries.

Marketed under the Rowadgeo brand, the company offers membrane rolls in thickness of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. The geo membranes are manufactured from virgin hexane-based polyethylene resins.