SABIC backs FibeRio

FibeRio, the developer and manufacturer of Forcespinning nanofibre production systems, has joined forces with SABIC – one of the world’s leading petrochemical companies – to jointly promote nanofibre technology.

In February, SABIC Ventures participated in a strategic investment round in FibeRio that will be used to introduce larger scale production systems to the market and build on a growing pipeline of orders with global leaders in the nonwovens and textiles industries.

“FibeRio’s unique processing technology not only increases our market reach, but offers SABIC an opportunity to move further down the value chain with innovative fibres for our customers,” says Hans Kolnaar of SABIC Ventures.

Founded in 2009, FibeRio has already delivered several large scale industrial Forcespinning units to industry leading customers across the globe. The company says the technology allows manufacturers to produce nanofibres on a truly commercial scale in a cost-effective manner and that it can be used to spin a wide range of polymers, both from melts and from solutions. In contrast to the widely used electrospinning process, Forcespinning does not require materials to have specific dielectric properties.

SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, in addition to glycols, methanol and fertilizers, with 2012 sales of $50.4 billion.

The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70% of SABIC shares with the remaining 30% held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business manufactures thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, foam and sheet.