GCC Plastic

Processing
Industry
GCC Plastic
Processing
Industry

April 2013
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1

GCC Plastics Processing Industry
Introduction
The GCC has experienced a period of rapid growth in recent years, propelling itself from its
original status as an oil and gas producer, to become a leading olefins and polymers producer.
Polymer production capacity has soared during the past five years increasing from 8.8 million
tons in 2007 to 19.9 million tons in 2012, along with consumption which has risen on average by
ten percent per year from 2.8 million tons in 2007 to 4.5 million tons in 2012. This level of
growth is forecast to continue over the next five years at annual rate of around eight percent.
Polymer Consumption in GCC

The region is now moving onto the next stage of its development programme, with a special
focus on downstream industries and plastics conversion. Leading the way are Saudi Arabia and
the UAE which have introduced a series of initiatives to boost growth of small and medium-
sized industries (SMEs) for plastics processing. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Clusters
Development Programme has worked well in creating key industrial cities but the government is
ambitious for more, aiming to make KSA a world top-10 exporter of plastics, and creating
17 000 additional plastics and packaging sector jobs.
As part of its Vision 2020 agenda, the Saudi government plans to set up 14 new industrial cities
in the country over the next 10 years, which will among other things, promote investment in the
plastics conversion industry. Although the country has around 900 plastics processors, only
20 are considered large and ten as world-scale (consuming over 50 000 tons per year of resin).
Abu Dhabi in the UAE is also fast emerging as an important hub for plastics converters with the
introduction of the Abu Dhabi Polymers Park, and is aggressively encouraging foreign
investment.
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PE PP PVC PET PS
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XLS: BD/G/GCAP
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

2

Industrial Parks
Plastics processing is geographically concentrated with around 90 percent of plastics conversion
in Saudi Arabia taking place across five industrial parks developed by government agency
Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon). The UAE also has sites in Dubai and Sharjah.
Major plastic clusters in the region are currently:
Dammam 1/2, Saudi Arabia
Jeddah 1/2, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Rabigh
Dubai and Sharjah (including the Jebel Ali Free Zone), UAE
Major parks under development include:
Rabigh Conversion Industrial Park (RCIP). Petro Rabigh plans to build another plastics-
converting park similar to its existing site. Petro Rabigh, a joint venture between state-
owned Saudi Aramco and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical, was formed in 2005. The
companys main activity is in refining and petrochemical production but as part of the
governments strategy to boost the conversion industry, Petro Rabigh established its first
plastic conversion park in Saudi Arabia, the 2.5 million square metres Rabigh PlusTech
Park (RPTP), located directly next to the Petro Rabigh refinery. The Park has attracted
many companies taking advantage of the incentives provided by the Saudi government to
encourage the local conversion industry. It offers low utility and land lease rates,
guaranteed petrochemical feed from Petro Rabigh and provides numerous support
services.
Abu Dhabi Polymer Park. Located in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), the park
is housed next to the Borouge petrochemical and polymers complex, and offers
incentives such as duty-free imports and exports, and competitively priced and well-
developed infrastructure and utilities.
Plaschem Park. Managed by the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Aramco
also plans to develop a plastics park in Jubail next to Sadara Chemical (its joint venture
petrochemicals project with Dow Chemical) to create a fully integrated manufacturing
complex. According to MODON (the Saudi Industrial Property Authority) which was
set-up in 2001 to develop industrial cities throughout Saudi Arabia, there are also plans
for further developments in the following locations: Dammam 3, Jeddah 3, Al-Kharj
(phase two), Sudair (phase two) and Al-Qassim 2. MODON was set-up in 2001.
The plastics parks in Saudi Arabia and UAE account for more than 60 percent of plastics
processed in the GCC and around 70 percent of the 50 largest processors. Minor clusters of
plastics processing are appearing around resin producers in other parts of the region in Oman and
Qatar, but there is very little processing activity outside these industrial parks. Pipe production is
the exception in being geographically dispersed, as generally production takes place close to the
point of installation.
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

3

GCC Polymer Industry
The petrochemical industry in the Middle East has been commonly based on light feedstock,
such as ethane. For that reason, ethylene and its derivatives account for the largest proportion of
the petrochemical industry. Production of commodity grade polyolefins has remained the
mainstay of the industry.
Saudi Arabia is by far the largest polyolefin producer in the region and is expected to remain the
leader, taking into account all the proposed projects currently under various stages of
development. The United Arab Emirates is fast emerging as a major producer in the region.
Polyethylene (PE)
Supply
Polyethylene production capacity in the GCC is estimated at 11.5 million tons in 2012. Over the
past five years, GCC capacity has grown at an annual average rate of 13.7 percent; and with
several further developments planned, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, capacity is
forecast to rise at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the next five years.
Out of the four producing countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE), Saudi Arabia is by
far the largest producer with almost 70 percent of the regions production capacity. At the end of
2012, Saudi Kayan began production at its 300 000 tons per year LDPE plant in Al Jubail and
Saudi Polymers Company started-up its 1.1 million tons per year LLDPE/HDPE swing plant also
at Al Jubail. But the other major developments due on-stream in the next few years include the
Sadara Petrochemical complex which is scheduled to produce 400 000 tons per year of LDPE
and 800 000 tons per year of LLDPE. Sadara (a joint venture between Dow Chemical and
Saudi Aramco) is located in the Al Jubail Industrial Zone, is expected to come on-stream by
mid-2015 with full project completion by 2016. Petro-Rabigh is also expanding the capacity of
its existing 1.3 million tons per year ethane cracker, as well as building a new aromatics complex
using additional ethane and naphtha as feedstock for a variety of downstream plants including
among a range of products, LDPE/EVA. The facility is also due on-stream in 2016.
In the UAE, having completed the second phase of its complex in 2010, Borouge is now
constructing Phase 3 of its new facility which includes two 540 000 tons per year HDPE/LLDPE
swing plants using BORSTAR technology and a 350 000 tons per year LDPE plant. The LDPE
plant will produce XLPE for wire and cable applications. The complex is scheduled to start full
commercial operations mid-2014.
In Kuwait, the Kuwaiti company, Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) announced plans as
part of its joint venture with EQUATE to develop a 1.4 million tons per year cracker project at
their joint Olefins III site. Start-up is scheduled for 2017, using both ethane gas and naphtha as
feedstock. The project will also produce one million tons per year of polyethylene and 400 000
600 000 tons per year of polypropylene and possibly a monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant. The
plants would be located at Al Zour in Kuwait, alongside a fourth refinery being planned by
Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC), from which the Olefins III cracker can source naphtha.
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

4

At the end of 2012, QAPCO brought on-stream a 300 000 tons per year LDPE plant in Qatar,
bringing its total LDPE capacity from 400 000 tons per year to 700 000 tons per year in 2013.
Qatofin is also looking to expand its 450 000 tons per year LLDPE plant to 600 000 tons per year
in 2014.
PE Production Capacity in the GCC

PE Production Capacity in GCC by Country
(thousand tons)


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16000
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XLS: BD/G/GCAP
LDPE LLDPE HDPE Total LDPE LLDPE HDPE Total LDPE LLDPE HDPE Total
Bahrain - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kuwait - 270 500 770 - 300 500 800 - 2.1 - 0.8
Oman - - - - - - - - - - - -
Qatar 380 - 450 830 490 450 800 1 740 5.2 - 12.2 16.0
Saudi Arabia 220 2 450 1 215 3 885 695 3 850 3 335 7 880 25.9 9.5 22.4 15.2
UAE - - 580 580 - - 1 120 1 120 - - 14.1 14.1
Total 600 2 720 2 745 6 065 1 185 4 600 5 755 11 540 14.6 11.1 16.0 13.7
Annual Average
2007 2012 Growth Rate (2007-2012), %
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

5

Demand
The polyethylene market has shown an average annual growth rate of 6.6 percent since 2007 to
reach 1.7 million tons in 2012. In the next five years, stronger growth of 7.7 percent is forecast
as the market continues to develop. By far the largest application for polyethylene is in
packaging applications which uses combinations of LDPE, LLDPE and HDPE. The main items
within this sector are shopping bags, garbage bags and heavy duty sacks. One of the most
notable applications is for heavy duty bags which are used for the packaging of polymers which
are mainly exported. Heavy duty sack demand will continue to rise strongly in response to the
growth in production of polymers, fertilizers, and other commodity chemicals in Saudi Arabia.
PE blown and cast films are by far the largest production processes, with blown film production
currently much higher than cast film. Blown film extruders mostly are mono-layers however all
the largest converters are currently investing in new multi-layer extrusion processes.
Cast films mainly produce stretch films for the local and for export markets. The constant
substitution of shrink palletizing by stretch hood is ongoing and propelling more local demand
for stretch films.
In blow moulding, HDPE is mainly used for bottles and containers. The market in blow
moulding is steady albeit at a moderate growth level since it has suffered in the past few years
from heavy competition from PET.
Injection moulding applications range from caps and closures to crates to white goods items.
Mainly HDPE is used in these applications. Although converters still rely on foreign suppliers
for moulds and designs, there has been good growth in these applications in the past few years.
Pipe and conduit is another growth area for polyethylene. Although the market in Saudi Arabia
has been centred on PVC pipes, in 2008 the government has started to specify PE-100 pipes for
many potable applications. This has spurred stronger growth for pipes and fittings in HDPE
which will require bi-modal resins.
Extrusion coating is still very small in GCC and only used by few converters to coat on paper or
aluminium. SABIC plants do not produce the resin although it may be sourced from SABIC
Europe. QAPCO with its autoclave process does produce the proper LDPE resin for this
application.
For wire and cable, PE has been a major success and growth has been steady. Although there are
only handful of converters, the demand for cross-linked PE for medium and high voltage has
been extremely strong. The introduction of the Borouge LDPE plant in 2014, which will
produce XLPE for wire and cable applications, should help support local demand.
Rotomoulding has seen good growth related mainly to construction and infrastructure projects.
Hence, large tanks, reservoirs, and heavy duty drums have been made by rotomolding. This
sector will continue to grow at a moderate rate since it can only be used locally in GCC and
cannot be exported.
Other extrusion applications such as foam extrusion are small markets.
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

6

PE Demand in the GCC by Country

PE Demand in the GCC by End Use Application, 2012
(1.7 million tons)


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Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia UAE
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XLS: BD/G/GCAP
64%
13%
12%
5%
3%
2%
1%
Film Blow Moulding Injection Moulding
Other Extrusion Rotomoulding Pipe and Conduit
Others
XLS: N:\Business_Dev\Bahrain\GPCA_Plastics_Conference_2013\White Paper\Copy of
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

7

PE Demand in the GCC by End-Use Market, 2012
(1.7 million tons)

Polypropylene
Supply
In 2012, the GCC polypropylene production capacity stood at 6.3 million tons with Saudi Arabia
accounting 80 percent of capacity. The other three producing countries are Kuwait, Oman and
UAE. In Saudi Arabia, the period of rapid growth between 2007 and 2012 where annual growth
averaged the 27.6 percent per year, has now levelled off with the only new development being
the Saudi Polymer Company 400 000 tons per year plant which came use on-stream at the end of
2012. Other major Saudi producers include SABIC, (Ibn Zahr, Yanpet, Yansab, Saudi Kayan),
APPC and Petro Rabigh.
In the next five years, the 1.1 million tons per year PP plant at Borouge will see the UAE become
a significant producer in the region. Oman Polypropylene has a 340 000 tons per year plant
which has been operating in Sohar in Oman since 2006. PIC in Kuwait operates a long-standing
150 000 tons per year plant.
76%
15%
3%
2%
4%
Packaging Construction Consumer Goods Textiles Others
XLS: BD/G/GCAP
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

8

PP Production Capacity in the GCC

PP Production Capacity in the GCC by Country
(thousand tons)

Demand
Polypropylene consumption has risen annually by 6.3 percent from 2007 to 2012 where
consumption is estimated at 785 000 tons. Further growth of eight percent is forecast in the next
five years as the region develops its downstream industries especially as block and random
copolymer grades become more available for use in consumer goods and appliances which are
under-developed markets. The two major sectors for PP usage are in fibre for textiles and BOPP
film. Within textiles, the main application is in carpet manufacture which is a major export
industry, (local producer, Saudi Carpet, is reportedly the fifth largest global supplier). The
second application is woven PP used for heavy duty sacks, IBCs for resins, fertilizers, grains, etc.
The third application is non-woven PP which is also mainly for export and is led by SGN of
Dammam and Al-Saaf of Al-Hasa.

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XLS: BD/G/GCAP
Annual Average
Actual Estimate Growth Rate, %
2007 2012 2007-2012
Bahrain - - -
Kuwait 120 150 4.6
Oman 340 340 -
Qatar - - -
Saudi Arabia 1 365 4 965 29.5
UAE - 800 -
Total 1 825 6 255 27.9
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

9

Film packaging is mainly BOPP films. Taghleef Industries has invested heavily in BOPP
production and currently has 135 000 tons per year production capacity at plants based in Egypt,
UAE and Oman. Rowad Plastics in Saudi Arabia (TASNEE) has also increased BOPP
production from 35 000 to 70 000 tons per year in 2013.
There is some production of cast PP (cPP) but still at a small level. There is only a small amount
of blown PP films production.
In injection moulding, PP is used in many applications such as pails, in-mould labelling, etc.
However, there is little widespread use of PP due to lack of consumer industries for example in
the electrical, automotive, white goods industries.
PP Demand in the GCC by Country

PP Demand in the GCC by End-Use Application
(785 000 tons)

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76%
15%
3%
2%
4%
Packaging Construction Consumer Goods Textiles Others
XLS: BD/G/GCAP
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

10

PP Demand in the GCC by End-Use Market, 2012
(785 000 tons)

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Supply
PetroKemya (a SABIC affiliate) is the only producer in GCC, and operates a 436 000 tons per
year plant producing mainly suspension PVC (S-PVC) and around 20 000 tons per year of
emulsion PVC (E-PVC). Qatar Vinyl Company (QVC) produces EDC and VCM but is not
forward integrated in PVC. There are currently no reported plans of future expansions. Overall,
the region is a net major importer of PVC in the order of 300 000 tons per year, with SABIC
exporting very little outside the GCC.
Demand
PVC demand has risen by five percent since 2007 to its current 2012 level of 707 000 tons, and
demand is forecast to grow over the next five at an annual rate of 8.7 percent as major
infrastructure/construction projects are realised. Demand for PVC is driven by the construction
industry in pipe and cable applications. Other rigid applications include profiles which are
mainly used for window frames and doors. Pipe demand has been growing strongly on the back
of the construction boom, particularly in sewerage where it has a high share of the market. PVC
also has a high market share in ducting although it is losing ground to PE. The potable water
market has traditionally been shared between PVC, GRP (glass reinforced unsaturated polyester
resin), clay and metal - clay and GRP having a surprisingly high market share due to strong
lobby support.
However, since the introduction PE100 HDPE in the region with new production from Borouge,
Petro Rabigh and SABIC over the past 10 years, the use of PVC, especially in potable water
applications, has been questioned. In Saudi Arabia, the decision was made in 2008 to remove
PVC from the preferred list of materials for potable water pipe network. The forthcoming
availability of copolymer PP may also begin to erode PVC in sewage applications.
41%
34%
9%
3%
7%
6%
Textiles Packaging Consumer Goods Construction Other Extrusion Others
XLS: BD/G/GCAP
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

11

Virtually all PVC in the GCC is consumed in the construction industry in pipe, cable and
profiles.
PVC Demand in the GCC by Country

PVC Demand in the GCC by End-Use
(707 000 tons)


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85%
9%
4%
2%
Pipe Cable Other Cable Applications Other Rigid Applications
XLS: N:\Business_Dev\Bahrain\GPCA_Plastics_Conference_2013\White Paper\Copy of
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

12

Polystyrene (PS)
Supply
There are currently only two producers of polystyrene in the GCC. Petrokemya operates two
plants at Al-Jubail with a total production capacity of 140 000 tons per year, as well as a smaller
40 000 tons per year EPS plant; and Saudi Polymers Company (jointly owned by Petrochem and
Chevron Phillips, with 65 and 35 percent respectively) which opened its 200 000 tons per year
capacity Al-Jubail facility in October 2012.
Polystyrene Production Capacity in the GCC
(thousand tons)

Demand
The polystyrene industry has shown moderate growth over the past five years (4.2 percent) as the
major industries in which it finds application (electrical and household goods) are still fairly
under-developed. The overall PS market is estimated at 219 000 tons in 2012 and is forecast to
maintain its current level of growth over the next five years. Consumption of polystyrene in the
Middle East consists largely of HIPS in electrical and household appliances. Saudi Arabia is the
only significant consumer of polystyrene in the region as it looks to expand non-oil industrial
sectors and diversify their economies. These industrialisation policies, along with rising income
levels and population growth, suggest strong growth for the Middle Eastern polystyrene market.
The EPS market in the Middle East is fairly small due to limited use of building insulation and
the small-scale packaging industry. The construction boom in the United Arab Emirates has also
provided sufficient demand for some converters to become established. Future demand growth
is expected to stay above GDP growth rates supported by both the packaging and construction
sectors.

Annual Average
Actual Estimate Growth Rate, %
2007 2012 2007-2012
GP/HIPS -
Petrokemya 140 140 -
Saudi Polymers Company- 200 -
EPS -
Petrokemya 40 40 -
Total 180 380 16.1
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

13

Total PS Demand by Country

GP/HIPS Demand by End-Use Market, 2012
(156 000 tons)


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65%
8%
4%
23%
Packaging Consumer Goods Construction Other
XLS: BD/G/GCAP
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

14

EPS Demand by Country

EPS Demand by End-Use Market, 2012
(63 000 tons)


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40
Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia UAE
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90%
10%
Construction Packaging
XLS: BD/G/GCAP
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

15

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Supply
In 2012, total production capacity in the region stood at 1.3 million tons per year. There are
three manufacturers producing PET melt phase for PET bottle grade production - Ibn Rushd
(Saudi Arabia), Octal (Oman) and JBF RAK (UAE). Octal and Ibn Rushd have major new
expansions planned over the next year which will increase production capacity to over 2 million
tons per year.
Octal has expanded rapidly since it first started production in 2009. Following the start-up of
Octals new capacity at the end of 2012, Octal has switched all of its bottle grade production to
the new 400 000 tons per year line, reserving sheet production to its older lines.
PET Melt Phase Production Capacity in the GCC

PET Melt Phase Production Capacity in the GCC
(thousand tons)


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XLS: BD/G/GCAP
Annual Average
Growth Rate, %
2007 2012 2007-2012
Bahrain - - -
Kuwait - - -
Oman - 560 -
Qatar - - -
Saudi Arabia 229 330 7.6
UAE 93 360 31.1
Total 322 1 250 31.2
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

16

Demand
Demand for melt phase PET stood at 1.1 million tons in 2012 having risen sharply from 243 000
tons in 2007 following the rapid explosion of production capacity over the past five years. There
is growing capacity for film production in the Middle East. JBF RAK has operated a large
BOPET plant as part of a large complex also producing bottle grade PET from several years at
Ras Alkhaimah in the United Arab Emirates. Ibn Rushd, the SABIC subsidiary also known as
the Arabian Industrial Fibers Company, was originally focused on PET fibre production, but has
subsequently converted all of its capacity to produce bottle grade resin. Ibn Rushd has another
major PET bottle resin plant under development for 2013 start-up. Ibn Rushds withdrawal from
fibre production highlights the critical importance of low labour costs, as even a well-integrated
company with feedstock and utility advantages was unable to generate satisfactory returns. Octal
has had a major influence on the market, producing bottle and sheet grades.
The Middle East mainly produces PET for bottle grade use, and fibre production is now
restricted mainly to Iran and Turkey. PET demand in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain is less than
10 000 tons per year.
PET Melt Phase Demand in the GCC by Country


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GCC Plastics Processing Industry

17

PET Melt Phase Demand in the GCC by End-Use
(1.1 million tons)


67%
33%
Bottle Grade Film/Sheet
XLS: N:\Business_Dev\Bahrain\GPCA_Plastics_Conference_2013\White Paper\Copy of
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

18

GCC Plastics Processing Industry
Overview of the Major Plastic Processors
There are over 1000 sites carrying out primary processing of plastics, converting polymer
granules or powder in the GCC. However, to assess these sites, a minimum site capacity of 100
tons per year was used for moulding businesses and 500 tons per year for extrusion.
Saudi Arabia has the largest number of convertors with reportedly 900 sites with almost all
focused on domestic or GCC sales. The UAE has the second largest number of converters and is
rising fast. These two countries account for 80-85 percent of conversion sites, and the 50 largest
companies account for 70 percent of total plastics processing tonnage.
GCC Plastics Processing Capacity of the 50 Largest Companies
(thousand tons)

Company Country 101-150 51-100 21-50 < 20
Harwal Group UAE
NAPCO Saudi Arabia
Taghleef Oman/UAE
Al Sorayai Saudi Arabia
Al Watania Saudi Arabia
Astra Industrial Group Saudi Arabia
Flex Middle East UAE
Gulf Packaging Industries Saudi Arabia
Gulf Packaging Systems Saudi Arabia
Intergulf (IFFCO) UAE
Obeikan Industrial Investment Group KSA & UAE
Olayan Group Saudi Arabia
Rowad Plastics (TASNEE) Saudi Arabia
Saudi German Company Saudi Arabia
Savola Group Saudi Arabia
Zamil Plastics Saudi Arabia
Al Abdullatif Saudi Arabia
Al Othman Group (Ultrapak/SAAF/Plastico) Saudi Arabia
Al Tayar Saudi Arabia
Amiantit Saudi Arabia
Arabian Gulf Manufactures Saudi Arabia
Filling & Packaging Materials MFG CO (FIPCO) Saudi Arabia
New Product Industries (Neproplast) Saudi Arabia
Nova Industries LLC UAE
Riyadh Cable Saudi Arabia
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

19

GCC Plastics Processing Capacity of the 50 Largest Companies (Cont.)

Investment Opportunities
The vast majority of plastics processing production finds its end-application within the GCC led
by packaging and construction applications. The challenge investors now face is to determine
the extent to which they will serve the local domestic market or supply the international one.
Major other areas for future investment will include engineering polymer compound processing,
with the future local availability of: PA6, PA6.6, POM, PC, ABS, PMMA and other polymers.
Additionally, the local availability of thermoplastic elastomers will also broaden the investment
opportunities for local and international processors in the region.

Company Country 101-150 51-100 21-50 < 20
Saudi Cable Company Saudi Arabia
Saudi Plastic Factory Saudi Arabia
Al Moajil Sack Factory Saudi Arabia
Al Sharq Factories Saudi Arabia
Hepworth PME Qatar/UAE
Muna Noor Oman
National Factory For Plastic Industry Saudi Arabia
Packaging & Plastics Industries Kuwait
Packaging Products Company Saudi Arabia
Tencate Thiolon Middle East (Mattex Lesiure) UAE
Ah Ahli UAE
Al Amal Plastic Factory Saudi Arabia
Al Manar Plastic Products Co. Saudi Arabia
Arifco Saudi Arabia
Bischof & Klein Middle East Saudi Arabia
Enerplastics UAE
Fujairah Plastic Factory UAE
Genoa Plastics Industries Kuwait
Jeddah Cable Co Saudi Arabia
Kuwait Plastics Kuwait
Manama Packaging Bahrain
National Plastic Factory Saudi Arabia
Precision Plastic Products UAE
Qatar Plastic Products Qatar
David Lines is a Principal in Nexants Energy and Chemicals Consulting
Practice, based in London. He has extensive experience in business and
marketing strategy, market research and industry analysis as well as polymer
and plastics R&D, and new product development of finished goods.
Mr Lines has also been involved in plastics processing and plant operations and
plastics compounding and masterbatch management (Western Europe, Asia &
Middle East). Prior to Nexant, he was the Director of Plastics & Packaging
Cluster for the National Industrial Cluster Development Program (NICDP) under
the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Saudi Arabia.
Graham Hoar holds the position of Vice President, Middle East. He leads
Nexants Middle East energy and chemicals consulting activities and has
extensive experience of working with a broad range of clients across Europe,
Middle East, Africa and Asia. Graham has strengths in strategic planning,
commercial and techno-economic analysis as well as extensive global
experience in project and business evaluations/privatisations. He has also
provided commercial and technical due diligence support for M&A and project
finance activities. Graham also leads Nexants global activities in C1 Chemicals
& Fertilizers.
Nexant is an independent international energy consulting company with over 600 professional consultants
in offices located around the world, including San Francisco, New York, Houston, London, Bahrain,
Bangkok, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Buenos Aires.

Nexant includes Chem Systems which was acquired in 2001 and has been providing management
consulting services to the petroleum and chemical industry since 1964.

Nexant offers its clients independent insight and understanding. Our extensive technical experience and
resources, provides expertise to clients in several areas, including:
Strategy and business planning
Master planning/feasibility studies
Techno-economic and commercial analyses
Transaction related support (project finance, M&A, privatisation, private equity)
Financial evaluation
Nexant Overview
Manuel Asali: Principal, is responsible for Nexants Business Development in
the Middle East with special emphasis on Basic Chemicals such as C
1
, olefins
and aromatics. Manuel has wide experience in market and strategy studies with
expertise in forecasting market dynamics and profitability/pricing as well as
strategy development in the Middle East. He previously worked for SABIC and
headed its Business Strategy area in Chemicals. Manuel will be Project
Manager for this assignment.
GCC Plastics Processing Industry

20

Contact Information
Bahraini Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA)
Graham Hoar Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun
Vice President Middle East Secretary General
+973 1750 2962 P.O. Box 123055, Aspect Tower, Business Bay
ghoar@nexant.com Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971-4-451-06-66
David Lines Fax: +971-4-451-07-77
Principal sadoun@gpca.org.ae
+ 44 (20) 7950 1525
dlines@nexant.com










About The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association
The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) is a dedicated and non-profit making association
serving all its members with a variety of data, technical assistance and resources required by the
petrochemicals and chemicals industry. GPCAs mission is singular and specific in that it intends to support the
growth and sustainable development of the petrochemical and chemical industries in the Gulf in partnership
with its members and stakeholders and be both a sounding board and a meeting point for debate and
discussion. It is the first such association to represent the interests of the industry in the Middle East and it has
brought a major dimension to its task by creating both a forum for discussion and a place where likeminded
people can meet and share concepts and ideas. Since its inception in March 2006, the GPCA has earned the
enviable reputation for steering the regional industry towards a whole new level of co-operation and raising the
standard in terms of common ground interests.
Additional information is available at www.gpca.org.ae.
The views expressed herein do not purport to reflect or represent the formal and collective views of GPCA or its
board members.
Neither GPCA nor Nexant accepts duty of care or liability of any kind whatsoever to any party for damages, if
any, suffered by any party as a result of decisions made, or not made, or actions taken, or not taken, based on
this report.
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Gulf
Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association and Nexant.


DISCLAIMER: All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Gulf
Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association and Nexant Limited.
Nexant, Inc.

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