Dammam-based Industrial Chemicals & Resins Company (ICR), one of the largest producers of unsaturated polyester resins in Saudi Arabia, has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a manufacturer in 1998.
Production capacity has grown in leaps and bounds, from 4,500 metric tonnes per year (tpy) in its first year to 60,000 tpy now. After nearly a decade in operation, ICR supplies 35 per cent of the Saudi market, according to the company.
ICR was launched to cater to the company’s inhouse needs for resins used in the manufacture of tanks, pipes, boat roofs, portable bathrooms, portable cabins, filament winding tanks, playground equipment and other products.
The company, whose production facilities are located in the Second Industrial City of Dammam, counts several major customers including Future Pipe Industries and Amiantit Pipes. It exports to fellow Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman and to markets beyond the GCC region including Portugal, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Ivory Coast, Sudan and Iran.
ICR believes attention to quality and development of human resources has played a big part in its success.
Quality improvement
“Our aim is to improve the technology and equipment quality,” a company spokesman says, stressing also that “product stability” depended on “responsive process assurance and control.” “Hence we have all the equipment to ensure that manufacturing is undertaken with the utmost care and under controlled process conditions.”
The spokesman continues: “ICR commits itself to the pursuit of excellence in technology, quality and customer service, which has been a corporate-wide goal from inception.
“Management emphasises strongly on human resources with a view to creating a motivated working environment.” There is a sense of “ongoing evolution in improvement,” he adds.
The company has a staff of more than 85.
ICR manufactures a number of unsaturated polyester resins. These include:
• G P Resin Topaz -1110 TP: This is a high-performance general purpose resin for common hand lay-up and spraying systems.
• ISO Resin Topaz -2100: It has superior chemical resistance to most mineral and organic acids, solvents and oils and is a choice product for making products including filament wound pipes, glass-reinforced chemical process equipment, storage tanks, tankers, ducting and hoods that can handle chemicals at ambient temperature. It can also be used for making moulds, boats and bathtubs.
• Button Resin Topaz – 1500 AT: The product is used for making button sheets and blanks and can be processed even after a long storage period of several weeks.
• Car Putty Resin Topaz – 1400: It is good for making putty for application on metal car bodies and tops and for finishing in painting.
• Marble Resin Topaz – 1600: This is used as a clear sanitary-grade resin on exposed surfaces.
• Rooflite Resin Topaz – 1700 AT: It is used for making translucent roof sheets,
• G P Gelcoat – 1900 White & Clear: This is a high-quality gelcoat based on orthophthalic polyester resin suited for products such as water tanks, cladding panels, garden benches and other surfaces that are not in chemical contact.
• SMC/DMC Resin Topaz -2300: This is an unsaturated isophthalic polyester resin designed specifically for SMC/DMC applications with high reactivity. It allows high filler loading. The functionality in resins is adjusted to provide an optimum thickening behavior. The resin has high SPI peak exotherm and low cure time that allows faster production rates.
• Marine Resin Topaz – 2750: This is a high-quality weather protection and chemical resistant isophthalic/neopentyl glycol polyester resin suited for products such as boat decks, car body works and cladding panels.
• Marine Gelcoat Topaz -2700 AT: This is a weather protection gelcoat - a high-quality gelcoat, based on isophthalic/neopentyl glycol polyester resin suited for products including boat decks, car body work and cladding panels.
• ISO Gelcoat White Topaz – 2900: This is high-quality gelcoat based on isophthalic polyester resin suited for products including boat decks, car body tops and interiors and cladding panels.
