Saudi processors get All-Around(er) look at molding

The region long has had access to the oil needed to create petrochemicals, increasingly petrochemical and plastic plants are being built there, and the governments in the region, especially in Saudi Arabia, are strongly supporting creation of a plastics processing community in the Gulf Region. Training workers for the industry is a high priority.

As we have reported before, the Higher Institute for Plastics Fabrication (HIPF) in Riyadh, a joint project between Saudi Arabia and Japan, was created to help train employees for jobs within plastics processing facilities. German machine manufacturers moved quickly to offer their support to the HIPF, which opened in mid-2007, with Polyrema, a member of the Reifenhäuser group of companies (Troisdorf, Germany), delivering 15 blown-film lines to the HIPF, Kautex delivering 15 KCC extrusion blowmolding units and 45 blow molds to Saudi Arabia for installation in the vocational training center, and injection molding machinery manufacturer Arburg supplying 15 of its Allrounder injection molding machines.

Earlier this summer, Arburg took part in a two-day seminar for customers, prospects and emerging specialists in the Riyadh facility, with 37 participants. The Institute took the opportunity of the event to present its training offerings to local plastics processing companies. On the second day, an Arburg information seminar was then held for the HIPF students.

Nine Japanese plastics experts provide support to the HIPF's 72 trainers and teachers, as well as 25 further employees.

The two-day event covered more than the basics. Topics included medical technology/clean room processing and packaging technology, with a special focus on closure caps, thin-walled containers and in-mold labelling (IML). Several experts from Arburg's Lossburg, Germany headquarters made the trip and spoke at the HIPF in order to explain technical issues and answer the participants' questions in detail. They also spoke on the range of electric and hybrid Allrounders offered by the manufacturer, and why these drives have advantages over hydraulically powered presses for some uses.

According to Arburg, the event was a success in two respects. The company was able to inform customers and prospects about the latest developments in injection molding sectors and on the attributes of its own products. The manufacturer and the HIPF benefitted from the opportunity to draw attention to themselves in this important regional market.