Engen Petroleum enters plastics industry

"Launching the polymer business forms part of Engen's growth strategy. Polymers make up by far the biggest portion of the local chemicals market," says Colleen Jacobs, Engen chemicals and special products business manager.

Operating under the radar for the past three years, the polymer team has reported steady volumes growth in an extremely competitive environment. Polymer business manager, Isaac Solomon David, says the unit's volume throughput from January to December 2011 increased significantly over the same period in 2010. This rapid growth is driven by industry expertise and Engen's reputable brand, which makes entry into competitive market conditions a bit easier.

Thrust came from polymers

Commodity polymers are a specific focus area. These include PVC, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene and linear low-density polyethylene.

The major thrust came from polymers, manufactured by Engen's parent company PETRONAS Chemicals Group, who are global players in the industry renowned for uncompromising product quality. Additional speciality polymers are supplied to Engen by multinational petrochemical giant ExxonMobil Chemical. "The strategy is to diversify our product range through partnerships with leading petrochemical companies and make effective use of Engen's extensive distribution infrastructure," says Solomon David.

"Engen plans to inject life into the local chemicals industry and to become a preferred alternative with our strategy of customer centricity and a sectorial focus. We are well positioned to meet market demand effectively as a high-volume distributor with the major brand to attract best-of-breed supplier relationships," concludes Jacobs.