SABIC Innovative Plastics Expands Local Manufacturing and Application Development Capabilities to Support China Customers

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands – April 23, 2008 – China’s thriving economy is driving demand across multiple industries for fast access to high-performance plastics and value-added development services. At Chinaplas 2008, Stand #W2G31, SABIC Innovative Plastics announced a multi-pronged strategy to meet these customer needs through expansion of local expertise and product fulfillment. The company is adding significant production capability to its plant in Pudong, Shanghai: a new facility housing four extrusion lines that will begin operations this month. SABIC Innovative Plastics will also expand its China Technology Center, located here, with the creation of a new Center of Excellence focused on notebook computers. The company’s continued investment in application development and production resources will provide customers in Greater China and Asia with faster procurement and outstanding technical support.

“Asia is a major strategic focus for SABIC Innovative Plastics, where we are demonstrating our commitment by locating new production facilities and services close to customers to work with them as long-term partners.” said Alan Leung, Pacific president for SABIC Innovative Plastics. “Our goals are to help automotive, electrical/electronics, and other leading OEMs and molders reduce time to market for their products and achieve a major competitive advantage by leveraging end-to-end development expertise. Our mission is to continue to leverage this expertise as engineering plastics pioneers to drive our customer-focused initiatives forward, evidenced by the recent opening of the new production lines in Chung-ju, Korea, to make LNP* Verton* composites readily available to Asian customers.”

New Production Facility Leverages Lean Manufacturing Design

The new extrusion facility will produce a range of resins for the automotive and electrical/electronics sectors. It is the first SABIC Innovative Plastics site created using Lean manufacturing design, an approach is that completely different from traditional models. Lean manufacturing allows for the production of small lot orders, the flexibility to change production very quickly, and enables a continuous process for manufacturing and delivery to the customer, reducing cycle time for producing materials.

Center of Excellence Targets Notebook Computer Innovation

More than 80 percent of the world’s notebook PCs are produced in China. To support application innovation, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Center of Excellence will offer comprehensive design, material specification, testing, and processing expertise. Because of its location in the China Technology Center, the new Center of Excellence will be able to draw upon resources such as polymer formulation and color and effect development. Customers can work with SABIC Innovative Plastics’ experts to create and validate new applications, reducing innovation development cycle times, and boosting their competitive differentiation.

Future Focus

SABIC Innovative Plastics will establish a new, world-class Research, Development and Customer Technology Center (CTC) in Shanghai by the end of 2010. The new facility will also serve as the Asia Pacific headquarters for SABIC Innovative Plastics. It will be the focal point for the company’s rapid growth and expansion in Asia, and will house global R&D activities supporting the needs of global customers. This new facility investment clearly reaffirms

SABIC Innovative Plastics’ commitment to customers in the region with expanded capabilities beyond those offered at the current CTC. It will also be the center of SABIC Innovative Plastics’ future application development activities here.

“Our continued investments in China will accelerate SABIC Innovative Plastics’ long tradition of supporting our Chinese and global customers in the region with the innovative product solutions and outstanding technical support they need to succeed,” Leung added. “Their success is our success and the ultimate measure of our achievement.”

For more information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ resins and composites, please visit the company’s website at www.sabic-ip.com.

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Innovative Plastics		Polymers
1 Plastics Avenue		Europaboulevard 1
Pittsfield, Mass.		6135 LD Sittard
United States		Netherlands
Tel: +1 413 448 7383		Tel: +31 (0)46 722 2399
Email: jodi.kennedy@sabic-ip.com		Fax: +31 (0)10 264 4823
Web: www.sabic-ip.com		Email: rachel.kundra@sabic-europe.com
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