In order to “drive important efficiencies” in its operations, Sabic (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) announced that it will merge its technology and innovation operations from its Pittsfield, MA; Exton, PA; and Selkirk, NY, locations.

The consolidation of this combined research and development expertise will take place as soon as the necessary modifications to the Selkirk facilities are completed, estimated to be in 2017. At that time, Sabic will exit its Pittsfield Polymer Processing Development Center (PPDC) and close its Exton site.

“The integration will also merge material science, process engineering and application development into a collaborative environment that will lead to new innovation breakthroughs,” said Awadh Al-Maker, Executive Vice President, Sabic Technology & Innovation.

Sabic’s specialties portfolio offers a broad range of solutions beyond engineering thermoplastic resins and compounds, such as composites, functional surfaces and substrates, additive manufacturing solutions, part design, finished parts and materials processing expertise. Sabic’s innovation roadmap is driven by deep intelligence in industries such as mass transportation, healthcare, displays and electronics, and architectural specialties, where key insights help Sabic effectively anticipate customers’ future needs.

Thierry Malerne, Vice President, Technology & Innovation, added: “A collaborative R&D environment will result in a wide variety of problem-solving options for our customers and will accelerate our development cycle.”