The pipe innovation centre is said to be equipped fully to conduct extensive testing of pipes in accordance with applicable international standards
The European pipe innovation hub of SABIC is located near its manufacturing site at Geleen. (Credit: SABIC)
Saudi chemical manufacturing company SABIC has officially inaugurated its European Pipe Innovation Center located near its manufacturing site at Geleen, The Netherlands.
The new hub will complement the existing pipe innovation centres of the company in Saudi Arabia and China.
According to SABIC, the new facility in Geleen with its capabilities in customised development of pipe materials, testing, sampling, and validation will help the company to closely and more effectively work with pipe manufacturers in Europe than before.
SABIC polymer application development and industry solutions director Lina Prada said: “Global urbanisation and population growth are driving the demand for plastic pipes and innovative new pipe solutions in a wide range of infrastructural, domestic, industrial, agri- and aquacultural market segments. We at SABIC have been bringing advanced solutions to the pipe industry for many years.
“Keeping the edge on innovation requires continuous development of our competences and capabilities. Our new Pipe Innovation Center in Geleen and its dedicated team are a good demonstration of our commitment to keep developing those sustainable solutions.”
SABIC claimed that the European Pipe Innovation Center is equipped fully to conduct extensive testing of pipes in accordance with applicable international standards. The hub’s materials testing facilities include strain hardening, full notch creep, rheological, tensile, and impact testing.
Pipe testing capabilities of the centre range from internal pressure through notched pipe to small-scale steady state (S4) quick crack propagation testing. The other main activity of the centre is to speed up the use of certified circular polymers from SABIC’s portfolio in pipe developments that are new and sustainable.
SABIC stated that the team at the Geleen hub will be able to connect its activities more effectively with the development of pipe polymers on-site and address even the most complicated customer challenges within quick turnaround times.
Apart from that, the pipe innovation centre is expected to support advanced pipe concepts in partnership with value chain partners in the European pipe industry, said the chemical manufacturer.
Recently, SABIC forged a partnership with Stella McCartney Beauty and certain French plastic converters to develop a new line of skin and eye care refill containers.