Corporate Profile
Creation
SABIC’s creation by royal decree in September 1976 was a bold step for a developing country. It marked a move into using the by-products of oil extraction to produce value-added commodities – such as chemicals, polymers and fertilizers – for export. These commodities were also intended to create new industries, helping Saudi Arabia to diversify and to develop.
Development
As a result, during the late 1970s and early 1980s the fishing village of Al-Jubail transformed into a modern industrial city, with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu building the infrastructure, and SABIC building the factories. Our first joint-venture plant began production in 1983, followed by several affiliated companies. We have now been through three phases of major expansion, earning us a place among the world’s fastest-growing companies.
Emergence
SABIC’s emergence in the 1980s was described by industry media as “one of the most rapid and coherent industrialization developments of the 20th century”. We haven’t stopped since: in 1985 our total production was 6.3 million metric tons (mmt); by the end of 2008 it had reached 56 mmt and by 2020, we intend to produce over 135 mmt per year. The SABIC2020 project, launched in 2006, clearly signifies our ambition to take a global leadership position in the field of petrochemicals.