(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qapco turns 40 today. On its anniversary, Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) QSC, one of the leading petrochemical powerhouses in the region and a precursor in petrochemical production, celebrates its heritage and future, started by visionary pioneers.
Since the establishment of Qapco on the November 9, 1974, by Emiri Decree No. 109, the company has never ceased to grow, progress and evolve. On the occasion of this important milestone, the management shares some inspiring stories that characterise Qapco's four decades of unparalleled success.
"Our successful and extraordinary journey rests on the minds and brilliance of many," said Eng. Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi, Chairman of Qapco. "It first started with a dream in 1974. By transforming a visionary idea into a reality, making the most of what we have been given, by further optimising our hydrocarbon resources, Qapco broke new grounds and paved the way to an entirely new and promising industry in the GCC, petrochemicals," he added.
Unlocking natural resources potential - capturing the gas flows associated with oil production that were previously flared, and instead channeling those flows as feedstock for chemical production has made it possible to build an immense and highly profitable industry for the entire GCC region. Qapco established the first petrochemical facility aimed at utilising ethane, which was previously flared, to produce olefins, such as ethylene, and polyolefin for export. Utilising ethane as a feedstock is common nowadays, but back then it was a first-timer and a revolutionary idea.
Al Mohannadi said: "Our humble beginnings were followed by colossal capacity expansions, where we moved restlessly from one project to the next, marked by many milestones and memorable achievements, and Qapco rapidly became recognised as a global leader in low density polyethylene production."
In forty year, Qapco increased its low-density polyethylene (LDPE) production capacity by 500 percent and today the company is recognised as a leader in its industry. LDPE is considered as the most widely used type of plastic, with applications such as food packaging, agricultural films, cables and wires, coating, and playing a key role in the development of green building solutions.
Al Mohannadi added, "Our success story has been made possible through the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, and with the wise guidance of H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, the Minister of Energy and Industry. I would like to thank Qatar Petroleum and our shareholders, Industries Qatar and Total Petrochemicals France, as they are the foundation of our success. The unwavering commitment of our Board of Directors and Executive Management team, combined with the support of our partners has played a pivotal role in our journey towards success. Qapco's ambitions have become realities thanks to the remarkable dedication and outstanding commitment of our employees."
Qapco's fortieth anniversary is the occasion for the company to pay a tribute to all its employees. Qapco is holding celebrations in their honour in it plant in Mesaieed today.
Dr Mohammed Youssef Al Mulla, Vice Chairman and CEO of Qapco acknowledged the contribution of all the employees, "It is truly the men and women of Qapco who have driven us where we are today. Our employees expertise, loyalty and hard work along with their unwavering commitment to the highest standards of performance and excellence made us who we are. The Qapco Family is at the heart of everything we do and a vital force that has always propelled us forward."
From a staff of 20 people in 1978, the number of employees at Qapco grew to 700 in the early eighties and reached 1,324 in 2014. Several Qataris participated in those intense coaching and development courses, becoming the first generation of Qatari petrochemical experts. Today, with Qatarisation standing at 30.2 percent, national leadership is one of the driving forces of Qapco and gives the company its cultural identity. Qapco has also forged a strong corporate culture based on teamwork and knowledge transfer. As Qapco focuses on R&D, innovation and delivering sustainable solutions, the company believes in the tremendous potential offered by the next generation of advanced materials that will be produced from Qatar's natural resources. Dr Al Mulla added, "At Qapco, we draw strength from the alignment of our strategy with the Qatar National Vision 2030."
The power of an idea has allowed Qapco to become an industrial giant. It started with a visionary dream; here is how the Qapco story began. As the European petrochemical industry was emerging, the company CdF Chimie was created in 1966 in France and specialised in steam-cracking products, intermediates and thermoplastics. CdF Chimie rapidly became the frontrunner in its field and expanded its activities internationally, through the creation of plants and industrial platforms specialising in plastic production, notably in Asia. At that time, CdF Chimie was looking to develop new sources of plastics in markets offering attractive raw-materials, and expand in regions that were closer to its main client-base, Europe. In April 1974, Jacques Petitmengin, CEO of CdF Chimie, and René Boudet, Chairman of Gazocéan, travelled for the first time to Qatar.
During their visit, they meet with the leadership of the State of Qatar, and they proposed to build a ground-breaking and entirely new project for the region, an ethylene and polyethylene plant.
The Memorandum of Association was signed in Doha on August 15, 1974 between the Government of the State of Qatar, CdF Chimie and Gazocean and Qapco's commercial registration was finalised on November 9 of the same year. The birth of an industry had just started. Qatar had laid the foundations for a promising industrial future. The petrochemical revolution in the GCC was in motion.
In the early seventies, Mesaieed had been identified as a strategic zone for the development of industrial activities and the city already had a functioning port, jetty facilities and an oil tanker terminal. Qatar Fertilizer Company (Qapco) was the first plant in operations in entire industrial area.
The Qapco plant was then built on a massive desert area, next to the Qapco site. Construction work started in 1976, first with the jetty area, then in 1978 the construction of the LDPE 1 unit was in full swing, and by 1979 the administration building was finalised.
In March 1980, the utilities plant was fully operational and started functioning. For the first start-up of the ethylene plant, Qapco received a shipment of ethylene from France.
Finally, on September 3 of the same year, the first Made In Qatar polyethylene was produced.
On February 23, 1981, the first LDPE plant in the Middle East was formally inaugurated. Qapco started commercial production in 1981, with an initial annual output of 132,679 tons of ethylene. Beginnings were humble. However, the decade of the eighties witnessed the steady emergence of Qapco as one of the most important petrochemical companies in the Gulf.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.