Oct 12 2010
The petrochemical and chemical industry is recovering from the global recession and shifting its focus away from crisis management to driving innovation for future growth.
At the Fifth Annual GPCA Forum, taking place 7-9 December 2010 at the Intercontinental Festival City, Dubai, leaders of major global and Middle Eastern companies will discuss the future of the industry, growth areas, and what companies can do to take advantage of these opportunities and grow their business.
By 2015, the Middle East petrochemical production will be as large as the U.S. and Europe. More than 19 million m.t./year of ethylene capacity will come onstream in the Middle East by 2015, putting the region among leading producers of a range of petrochemicals and plastics, says SRI Consulting (SRIC; Menlo Park, CA).
Polyethylene and polypropylene capacity will more than double in the Middle East by 2015, to 22.6 million m.t./year and 9.9 million m.t./year, respectively, says Konrad Scheidl, executive v.p. at Maack Business Services (Zurich). The Middle East will increase its share of global PE capacity from 13% in 2008 to 19% in 2015, making it the leading global player, and its PP share will rise from 9% in 2008 to 13% in 2015, placing it second in the world.
The Forum features two days of top-notch speakers, top-calibre networking receptions and special events all focused on growing in this extremely important petrochemical region. Delegates will hear insights and experiences from:
- H.E. Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, UAE
- Mohamed H. Al-Mady, Chairman, GPCA; Vice Chairman and CEO, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)
- Khalid A. Al-Falih, President and CEO, Saudi Aramco
- Christian Jourquin, CEO, Solvay
- Axel Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management, LANXESS AG
- François Cornelis, Vice Chairman and President/Chemical, Total
- Dave Weidman, Chairman and CEO, Celanese Corporation
- Victor Chu, Chairman and CEO, Far Eastern Investment Group
- Ki-Joon Hong, President and CEO, Hanwha Chemical
- Dmitry Konov, President, Sibur
- Andreas Kreimeyer, Board Member, BASF SE
“The GPCA forum continually provides attendees unparalleled access to the industry’s leaders and decision-makers, as well as offering the latest marketplace intelligence. This year we have a high calibre program and expect the forum to be just as, if not more, successful than in past years,” said Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA.
Year after year the Forum sees significant increases in attendance with attendance jumping 48% since its inception in 2006. GPCA expects significant growth yet again in 2010. Last December, the Fourth Annual GPCA Forum drew 1,082 attendees from 43 different countries from several global majors including SABIC, TASNEE, BASF, ExxonMobil, LyondellBasell, Dow Chemical, Sinopec, Reliance, Shell and more.
“The large growth the GPCA Forum has seen and tremendous support we have received from the industry clearly indicates the need for the strategic dialogue that takes place at this leading industry event in the Middle East,” said Lyn Tattum, Publisher and Group Vice President, Chemical Week.