Songwon Polysys: Leaders in polyolefins manufacturing makes presence felt at Polymers Park

When did Songwon Polysys Additives decide to set up base in Kizad, and why?

SONGWON established its plant in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) in 2016, and since then the company is pleased to have become a part of the Emirate’s growing polymers industry. Kizad lies between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and is easily accessible by sea, air and road. Its strategic location provides easy access to commercial, technical and logistical support.

Kizad has a clear IT and tracking system, building permit processes are easy to navigate and all the contacts are in place. Furthermore, various key government ministries have also digitised their systems. Any company setting up here today would find it to be a walk in the park

Hans Daniels, General Manager, Songwon Polysys Additives

This is a positive feature for us, as our raw materials arrive by sea from Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. Abu Dhabi itself is at the heart of the UAE and the Middle East, which together constitute a major consumer market for additive blends known as OPS (One Pack Systems) and one of the fastest-growing for polyolefins.

Being located here places SONGWON in a strong position to meet regional demand and enables us to contribute to replacing imports with locally produced products. From Abu Dhabi, we supply customers in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, and the UAE. Our OPS customers in the Levant and GCC are pleased to have a locally based partner with a global reputation for quality, service and technical compliance that can offer them the security of supply that they demand.

Please share some information on your product portfolio and the industries it caters to.

In our Abu Dhabi plant, we produce Songnox One Pack Systems (OPS), consisting of a multi-component blend of additives integrated into a dust-free, pelletised form.

Songnox OPS are 100 per cent active additive blends, tailored from a wide range of additive products to meet customer needs. Homogeneous and highly accurate in composition, the pre-dispersed pellets can be easily processed into a polymer matrix. OPS help to optimise our customers’ compounding processes, improving dosing accuracy, minimising dust, increasing process reliability and reducing quality control and logistics costs.

Thanks to their high consistency, OPS can be of particular value to a wide range of industries and applications where end-use specifications are critical. Additionally, OPS do not require the use of the carrier materials often needed where separate powder additives are combined.

What are the advantages that the Polymers Park offers businesses such as SONGWON to run a successful enterprise, and what are the challenges you surmounted while setting up base? How can Kizad improve on its value offerings to companies setting up base at the free zone?

When we established SONGWON’s presence in Abu Dhabi, Kizad was still in its early days and the regulatory environment was fairly challenging. Processes were not yet completely streamlined, there were infrastructural challenges, and approval time visibility and the required approvals themselves were not yet optimal, which gave rise to surprises that required a great deal of hands-on follow up.

The positive side is that Kizad’s management was highly committed to making improvements from day one. Year-over-year, we have seen an impressive streamlining of Kizad’s organisation and an ease of doing business.

Today, Kizad has a clear IT and tracking system, building permit processes are easy to navigate and all the contacts are in place. Furthermore, various key government ministries have also digitised their systems. Any company setting up here today would find it to be a walk in the park.

Do share Songwon Polysys Additives’ expansion plans in Kizad as well as in the UAE and the region.

SONGWON just completed an investment, doubling production capacity at the Kizad plant. This is to support the developments in Abu Dhabi and the surrounding GCC. SONGWON remains fully committed to invest where growth is required to support the industry.