Houston — Saudi Basic Industries Inc. is expanding capacity for its Ultem and Extem high-heat polymers in Singapore.
In a May 21 news release, the company said the investments will include a new plant that will start production in the first half of 2021. The company first announced plans for the project in February 2018, but at the time the project did not include Extem, a family of thermoplastic polyimide and polyetherimide resins.
The company did not release details on the cost or capacity, but said the project would contribute to a total global capacity expansion of more than 50 percent compared to 2018. Processors had complained about shortages of Ultem resins in 2014.
Sabic, which has a U.S. headquarters in Houston, currently makes Ultem polyetherimide resins in two locations: Mount Vernon, Ind., and Cartagena, Spain. The planned operations in Singapore will localize supply for customers in Asia.