Clariant has announced that construction work has begun on a new, state-of-the art masterbatch production unit in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The new manufacturing site belongs to Clariant Masterbatches Saudi Arabia, a joint venture of Clariant and Rowad National Plastic Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Tasnee, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The new site will be constructed on a 38 000-sq-m property in Yanbu Industrial Zone 2 and is expected to be commissioned by early 2017. The plant, which will focus on the production of white masterbatches, will be the second manufacturing hub for Clariant Masterbatches in Saudi Arabia.

The company also has manufacturing sites in Riyadh. The project is one of the most important investments for Business Unit Masterbatches (BU MB) in recent years.

"The joint investment with Rowad is in line with our strategy to further strengthen our position in one of the important markets for plastic applications", said Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant.

(Continued on the next page)