An industry that touches all our lives

Jan 29 2008 by Sarah Judd, Evening Gazette

WILTON-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) which acquired Huntsman’s petrochemicals business for $685m (£350m) at the end of 2006, is just one of the businesses backing the National Skills Academy for the Process Industries.

The company is among the world’s leading manufacturers of petrochemicals, chemicals, fertilizers, plastics and metals, which it supplies to other businesses who use them to make the various products on which the world has come to depend.

Staff at Wilton were key in the lobbying effort to bring the Academy to Teesside, in particular Paul Booth, president of SABIC UK Petrochemicals.

“Clearly, the investment plans of companies like SABIC can only come to fruition if we have people with the necessary skills to both build, operate and maintain the world-scale assets that we run,” he said.

“That is an absolutely crucial issue and is why the launch of the National Skills Academy is so very important to Teesside and the wider North-east process industry.

“We have certainly encountered a serious shortage of appropriately qualified graduates and technicians across Teesside and indeed the UK.

“As far as the creation of a national network for learning is concerned, we are delighted that the hub for the NSA will be located in the North-east, but the important point is that this structure will give access to learning and best practice on a national scale.

“It is a heaven-sent opportunity for our industry to boot strap itself from where it has been to get to a far better place.”

Mr Booth is also keen to attract more women to a traditionally male-dominated industry, and will use his position on the skills academy committee to try to achieve this.

Just one year on from its acquisition of Huntsman, SABIC revealed plans to invest tens of millions of pounds in upgrading the assets at Wilton.

Meanwhile, construction work continues on the £200m Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) project. Beneficial operation of the facility - which will be the largest of its type in the world - is due in the second half of 2008.

Also on the horizon is a new £200m polypropylene plastics, with Wilton one of the European sites under consideration.

SABIC will also invest £50-£60m on its world-scale cracker plant at Wilton over the next two years.

Page four: Sceptics silenced after £100m deal.