Future Perfect

Diversification is the order of the day in the UAE. The latest project aiming in this direction is the Abu Dhabi Polymers Park, the UAE’s first industrial cluster committed to the plastic conversion industry

Left: Abdullah Al Darmaki, Vice President, Petrochemicals at ADBIC Right: Abu Dhabi Polymers Park Model

As part of its strategy for the future, Abu Dhabi plans to variate its sources of income by choosing a policy based on boosting investment and focusing on the industrial sector as the force behind economic growth and development. In simple words, the launch of the Abu Dhabi Polymers Park is a step in the proposed direction.

Established by the Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (ADBIC), the park is made up of 4.5 sq kilometres of land with an investment potential estimated at AED15 billion (US$4 billion).

Located 20 minutes from the city centre and 40 minutes from the new Khalifa Port, the new world scale industrial and container port aims to capture both the international and local markets as most of the manufacture and conversion of plastics taking place at the park will be for export. Considering the slated conversion capacity is one million tonnes per annum, the region will be poised for an increase in their exports of polymers. With the setting up of this park, the regional production of polymers is expected to double to 33 million tonnes by the year 2011.

Polymers Park aims to attract a host of tenants that convert a wide variety of polymer resins to end products for the packaging, original equipment manufacturing, construction and infrastructure segments including goods such as pipes, cables and intermediate blow moulded containers. Its goal is to create opportunities for international and regional private investment in developing downstream products and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) segments.

Purported advantages of being located in the park include: the higher availability of raw materials, labour, infrastructure and utilities at competitive costs; the provision of efficient, shared logistics services; a technical centre for quality and innovation; efficient supply chain management; logistics; warehousing; silo facilities; a business park for commercial and office space and training and vocational institutes. Tenants will also benefit from competitive long-term lease rates, say developers.

Abdullah Al Darmaki, Vice President, Petrochemicals at ADBIC, added, “Abu Dhabi is uniquely placed to become a world centre for plastics conversion with ready access to raw materials and export routes. By launching this park we plan to extend the local value chain for petrochemicals and encourage innovation in end-product plastic manufacturing.”

The park’s proximity to international trading routes is expected to spur the interest of those organisations looking for an export base from the UAE. Land for development is currently available, with full park capacity planned for 2012.