SADARA Chemical Company (Sadara), the largest chemical complex ever built in a single phase, Thursday announced the production of commercial quantities of on-specification liquid Polymeric Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (PMDI), the largest single train facility of its kind in the world. PMDI, which is used in the production of polyurethane, is one of several specialized chemical and plastics products that Sadara is producing in Saudi Arabia for the first time. The start-up of the PMDI plant comes just five months after the completion of its mechanical phase. Commenting on the announcement, CEO Ziad Al-Labban said: "Starting up the PDMI plant puts Saudi Arabia firmly on the world map of major polyurethane producers. This is indeed a significant milestone for us at Sadara, especially when considering the unique nature and size of this plant and how quickly we were able to complete it." PMDI has a wide range of applications that include the production of insulation foams, domestic and industrial appliances, automobiles, airplanes, textiles, furniture, and more. The Sadara chemical complex in Jubail is considered the world's first fully integrated PMDI manufacturer, combining manufacturing units that produce nitric acid, mono nitro benzene (MNB), formalin, benzene, aniline and chlorine, as well as hydrogen and carbon monoxide from an integrated on-site third-party producer. Sadara is a joint venture developed by the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and The Dow Chemical Company. Sadara is building a multibillion dollar world-scale chemical complex in Jubail Industrial City II in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. Comprised of 26 world scale manufacturing units, the Sadara complex is the world's largest to be built in a single phase and will be the first in the Middle East to use refinery liquids, such as naphtha, as feedstock. By using best-in-class technologies to crack refinery liquid feedstock, Sadara will enable many industries that either currently do not exist in Saudi Arabia or only exist through imports of raw materials. The adjacent PlasChem Park, a unique collaboration between Sadara and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu', will create more value downstream, generating unprecedented investment, innovation, economic growth and thousands of jobs.
