Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant AG has officially opened its new state-of–the art masterbatch production site in Saudi Arabia. It is Clariant's second masterbatch plant in the country, supplementing an existing site in Riyadh.
The new site is located in Yanbu, a city on the Red Sea which is home to 32 major hydrocarbon, petrochemical and mineral industries. The new plant has been constructed on site covering more than 400,000 square feet, owned by Clariant Masterbatches Saudi Arabia, a joint venture between Clariant and Rowad, a leading plastic products manufacturer in the Middle East and part of Tasnee, Saudi Arabia's second largest industrial company. Production will focus mainly on white masterbatches. The location of the new plant is expected to help Clariant have smooth access to major raw materials,
“This joint investment with Rowad expands our global network with a stronger position in the Middle East and Africa region, one of the important growth markets for plastic applications,” said Patrick Jany, Clariant chief financial officer.
This location provides easy access to key raw materials as well as also to sea and airport facilities, both for exporting the outputs of the plant and for supplying customers in Saudi Arabia as well as the wider Middle East and Africa region.
Marco Cenisio, the business unit leader for masterbatches at Clariant, called the project one of the most important investments for its unit in recent years.
Saeed Al Ajrafi, a board member of the Clariant Masterbatches Saudi Arabia Joint Venture and Vice President Plastics at Tasnee, added: "We are very pleased to officially open this site. The additional capabilities allow us to grow and extend our market share in this region's downstream plastics industry."