Sabic will establish its new European headquarters at the Bedrijven Stad Fortuna site in Sittard (Netherlands).

The company has made this in-principle decision after a selection process lasting less than a year.

The advantages of Sittard are that it is favourably located in relation to Sabic's production sites in Geleen (Netherlands) and Gelsenkirchen (Germany), that it offers the possibility of establishing a prestigious office building at a suitable location and that the Limburg-based Sabic employees involved do not need to move.

Since its acquisition by Sabicthe company has temporarily operated from a DSM office in Sittard. Sabic's European head office has meanwhile been transferred to Limburg, which means the office accommodation is becoming too small.

Moreover, the company feels it is important to have a building of its own that reflects its new SABIC identity.

European ambitions
'The fact that Sabic has moved its European headquarters to Sittard underlines its ambitions in this part of the world,' commented Frans Noteborn, chairman of the Sabic EuroPetrochemicals Managing Board.

He went on to sum up the developments of the last year or so: 'Six months after the official takeover, Sabic already opened a new polypropylene plant (PPF6) in the nearby town of Geleen, earlier this year the company moved its European head office from London to Sittard, and now we are going to build a new office here.

This shows that Sabic is serious about keeping the promise it made when it acquired these activities, namely that Europe would be our springboard for further, global growth. So far, this has already generated about a hundred new jobs in this region.'

Sabic's new European head office is expected to be completed in the autumn of 2005.
A number of renowned Dutch architects will submit draft designs, from which a choice will be made in November this year.

Sabic in Europe
Sabic produces polypropylene, polyethylene and hydrocarbons on the European continent.

In addition, the company sells hydrocarbons, polymers and chemicals in Europe that it produces elsewhere, such as polyester, PVC, polystyrene and melamine. Its total sales volume in Europe is about 6 million tonnes.

Sabic EuroPetro-chemicals BV is a subsidiary of Sabic. It comprises all of Sabic's European operations.

Sabic EuroPetro-chemicals has a workforce of about 2,300. Sabic has two petrochemical sites in Europe: one in Geleen (Netherlands) and one in Gelsenkirchen (Germany).

Sabic(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) is the Middle East's largest petrochemicals company and has two large industrial sites in Saudi Arabia (Al-Jubail and Yanbu), with sixteen world-scale production complexes. In addition, SABIC has interests in three production complexes in Bahrain.

In 2002 it recorded a net profit of EUR 867 million and total sales of EUR 10.3 billion.