Sabic has launched in Europe a new family of special polyethylene grades for the European pharmaceutical packaging industry.
It said the new grades comprise seven low density polyethylene (LDPE) and two high-density polyethylene offerings.
“The resins offer high purity and consistent quality and are typically used in film, injection and blow moulded pharmaceutical packaging applications,” Sabic said. 
“This new addition to our product portfolio is in line with our ambition to be the preferred world leader in chemicals by developing innovative new products targeted at higher added value niche markets,” said Dieter Hollmann, business unit director for HDPE, Sabic Europe.
Rolf Scherrenberg, technical marketing manager, LDPE and linear LDPE, Sabic Europe, commented: “Sabic has developed these new grades in response to the increasing market need for special grades in pharmaceutical packaging. The long-term availability commitment of these grades from a major polyolefins supplier such as Sabic will enable customers to have security of supply and to avoid complex, time-consuming approval procedures and processes.”
Sabic is one of the world’s 10 largest petrochemicals manufacturers. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilisers.
Its profit rose to a record SR27 billion ($7.2 billion) in 2007, a 33 per cent increase over 2006. Sales revenues for 2007 totalled SR126.2 billion, the highest achieved by the company since its inception.  
In Saudi Arabia, the company has 20 world-scale complexes, 19 of which are located in the industrial cities of Al-Jubail and Yanbu. Sabic’s overall production has increased from 27 million tonnes in 2001 to 55 million tonnes in 2007.
Sabic Europe (Sittard, The Netherlands) employs around 3,300 people, has a European sales offices network, logistic hubs and three petrochemical sites in Europe at Geleen (The Netherlands), Teesside (UK) and Gelsenkirchen (Germany). Sabic Europe produces 3 million tonnes per annum of polyolefins and 5.7 million tonnes of basic chemicals, mainly for the European market.