Teesside-based SABIC named UK’s company of the year

Teesside chemical company SABIC has been named Company of the Year by the Chemical Industries Association in recognition of its demonstrated business growth and sustained contribution to the economy.

SABIC, which has its UK base at Wilton, near Redcar, has made a range of major, sustained investments including the current Gas Cracking Project to the Olefins plant at Wilton. The plant’s conversion to take US shale gas will safeguard thousands of Teesside jobs whilst securing the company’s long-term future in the region.

SABIC employs 600 staff and an additional 400 contractors at its Wilton and North Tees sites, whilst thousands more Teesside jobs are reliant on the company within the wider supply chain, bringing some £400 million into the economy from payroll, utilities, goods and services.

Awarded to the most outstanding CIA member demonstrating business growth and a sustained contribution to the national economy, the Company of the Year award went to SABIC for the second time in five years after judges praised the company’s support of the wider industry and demonstrated commitment to the UK in recent years.

Along with its investment in Teesside industry, SABIC was praised for its commitment to the Chemistry Growth Partnership and the decarbonisation agenda, whilst the business has also demonstrated its commitment to its workforce, having previously received awards for Top Employer 2016 and Better Health at Work.

The largest national celebration of the achievements of the UK’s chemical and pharmaceutical businesses, the CIA Awards event also saw SABIC receive the Special Responsible Care Award for Process Safety Leadership, presented for demonstrating excellence in process safety leadership and performance as well as leadership by senior management and engagement of staff at all levels.

Judges praised SABIC’s management team for demonstrating excellent process safety leadership and a commitment to engaging the whole workforce, as well as innovative techniques for recording the condition of an ageing plant.

Judges were particularly impressed by the variety of techniques used to ensure a good process safety culture remains top of the agenda, including training based around layers of protection, hazard tables and a visible process safety dashboard.

John Bruijnooge, Site Director Teesside, said: “It was a great honour to receive the top award on behalf of all the employees at SABIC on Teesside. I was delighted that we won not one but two awards at such a prestigious event. All our employees have contributed to this accolade and I am very proud of their continued commitment.

“After a period of restructuring, we are now strengthening our UK operations with significant investment that will improve the competitiveness of the site for the future.

“SABIC continues to demonstrate its commitment to the UK and its workforce, whilst working closely with our stakeholders and the community in which we operate.”

SABIC was previously awarded CIA Company of the Year in 2011.