Saudi Arabia is expected to be producing 110 million tons of polyethylene by 2015, becoming mainly the major supplier to the vast markets in Europe, China and India, according to a study of the organizers of the Second Saudi International Petrochemical Exhibition and Forum. The three-day exhibition at the Dhahran International Exhibition Center is scheduled to start Oct. 9. It is projected that Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) production of petrochemical products, the bulk of which will be polyethylene, will reach over 130 million metric tons by 2020. The Sabic will then be the main producer of polyethylene, which is used in the production of wide range of plastic products utilized around the world, the study said. Grocery bags, shampoo containers and bottles, children's toys, protective vests, and many other plastic-based products are produced from polyethylene. For example, Sabic's Small Business Unit for Innovative Plastics signed in 2010 a five-year collaboration agreement with one of China's leading motor manufacturers for the utilization of Sabic plastic materials in front fenders, energy absorbers, and under molded tray in the production of sports coupe cars. Sabic is now co-developing plastic materials for aircraft interiors that are 50 percent lighter, and have excellent safety performance, thereby replacing die-cast aluminum components. The abundance of hydrocarbon resources and well developed national logistics facilities and infrastructures have positioned the Kingdom globally strong in reaching out in market, resulting into Middle East's replacing North America as the world's largest net exporter of ethylene and its derivatives. __
