Business & Money | Monday 18 March, 2019 3:28 am |

Impact, the BP Chemicals spin off, has confirmed its exhibiting attendance at the Saudi PPPP (Print, Pack, Plas & Petrochemical) exhibition at the Riyadh International Exhibition Centre, which takes place 18-21 October 2009. The move comes on the heels of the company’s plans to create purpose built offices and a technical centre in the region. The Saudi-based centre is expected to be finished and open for business by the end of this year. 

Chief Executive Rob Meek (pictured) says that ‘the reception for Impact in the Middle East region over the past two years has exceeded all of our expectations. Following our success with a major client in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; our success so far at Arab Plast and Dubai Plast this year – and many other factors - we are now set to expand our outlook and market reach. Saudi PPPP will give us a major opportunity to directly explain and present the full range and depth of our services and solutions for the region. We are really looking forward to it.’ 

Meek says that in addition to the Saudi investment, Impact is also planning a regional business development office in Bahrain to serve markets including North Africa and India. 

Meek adds that ‘as everyone knows, the Middle East is fast becoming the best place in the world to produce polymer resin for all kinds of plastics markets. However, new entrants – often with no track record or experience – need to hit the ground running with failsafe technology. The cost of error, failure, lack of testing and protocol in launching into the market is unthinkable. And many Middle Eastern companies are currently consulting with Impact and with our BP Chemicals-based know-how and heritage in order to access thirty plus years of global experience and solutions.’ 

Meek is delighted that Impact’s future plans for the region reaffirms it’s commitment to the growth of the Middle East polymer and petrochemical industries there. “The team I have in place possess both the business and technical know-how to tackle almost any challenge across the polymer supply chain. However, to be truly committed to this region we should have a facility located at the heart of the industry, and this we are now establishing.’ 

In time, Impact plans a full network of these ‘centres of excellence’ that will provide the region with the means for quality standards, manufacturing and learning; principally for plastics production and manufacturing. ‘With this in place - for both upstream and downstream plastics manufacturing – Impact will be doing its bit to help establish the excellence in the overall manufacturing and trading environment,’ adds Meek. 

Impact began its work in the Middle East in 2007 when the company won a prestigious 3 year contract in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a major petrochemicals company in Jubail. Impact’s key strength is the expertise it has gained from many years industrial experience within the petrochemicals industry. By bringing this to the region, Impact is able to adapt procedures and technologies to increase efficiency and productivity and reduce costs. It is this combination of knowledge and experience that led to Impact securing this multi-million dollar project management contract to build and develop a cutting edge polymer research and technical centre. 

Impact Laboratories has now scoped out the project management including the design layout and specification, equipment selection, commissioning, development and staff training. The centre will house nine laboratories equipped for physical and analytical testing, rheological and thermal analysis, molecular characterisation and microscopy and end product pipe, film and container testing, certification and accreditation. Rob Meek comments “The work with this major client is helping us to further demonstrate our capacity across the Middle East where we have been active for some time now. We’re taking our know-how harvested from our many years with BP Chemicals and applying it in the most rigorously demanding of environments.’ 

Impact Marketing Manager Chris Beaumont says that ‘we are preparing a wide and targeted portfolio of marketing and business communications – both for the October exhibition and for our new facility in Saudi Arabia and we shall also be launching our new corporate identity and website at the show. Upstream and downstream, Impact has a whole range of solutions and services for the plastics-based industries in the Middle East markets – and Saudi PPPP is the perfect launch opportunity.