Arlanxeo in tie-up to establish Saudi elastomers centre

Maastricht, The Netherlands – Arlanxeo is entering into a collaborative R&D 'framework' in Saudi Arabia with Dhahran Techno Valley Co. (DTVC), the materials company announced 11 July.

DTVC is a wholly owned company of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral (KFUPM) –  a major academic institution for the oil & gas sector in Saudi Arabia.

The move represents “the next phase of Arlanxeo’s growth plans to expand its R&D efforts into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said the synthetic rubber maker

The collaboration, it noted, will involve setting up an elastomers-related R&D centre in Dhahran Techno Valley, Saudi Arabia.

“Arlanxeo will seek to leverage the technical know-how and core competencies of DVTC and KFUPM [towards] building an innovative elastomers industry in Saudi Arabia," said Donald Chen, CEO of Arlanxeo,

This collaboration is "a natural fit for Arlanxeo as a member of the Saudi Aramco family," he added. “KFUPM as an academic institution has deep ties to Saudi Aramco in terms of R&D partnership.

“DTVC has a long-standing reputation for pursuing innovative excellence and is home to a state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure.“

For Saudi Aramco,, Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, senior VP downstream said the cooperation would contribute to the growth aspirations of Arlanxeo as well as Saudi Aramco’s broader chemicals growth strategy.

The Aramco executive added that “KFUPM would enable Arlanxeo to accelerate development of growth opportunities integrating the strong feedstock position of its parent, Saudi Aramco.”