Serving the Teesside Business Community | 49
The storage silos on SABIC’ s LDPE plant at Wilton.
“ We’ re convinced that having professional, motivated and qualified colleagues is the key to competing in the marketplace. While technology can be bought, we believe people make the real difference.”
HERE’ S WHAT SABIC DOES
SABIC’ s UK business was formed in 2006 when the Saudi-owned company purchased a facility on Teesside featuring world-scale Olefins and Low Density Polyethylene( LPDE) plants, logistics facilities, a cross-country pipeline network and a time-served but ageing Aromatics complex. It was a statement of intent by one of the world’ s leading petrochemicals companies.
On Teesside, SABIC was an unknown quantity to anyone outside of the international chemical industry. But that was then and this is now – and word is spreading fast.
Public perception and industry insight is transforming to recognise a thriving business that demonstrates ongoing growth and a sustained contribution to the UK economy.
SABIC is based at the centre of Teesside’ s industrial heartland. At Wilton International, the company operates a world-scale Olefins‘ Cracker’, producing Ethylene, Propylene, Butadiene and gasoline products. These are produced for worldwide customers with eventual enduses including plastic drinks bottles, CDs, car interiors and tyres.
Also at Wilton, the LDPE plant produces Low Density Polyethylene, which is transported to customers throughout Europe and the rest of the world, where it is turned into the plastic packaging used to wrap everything from food to electrical goods.
There are also substantial logistical facilities, including major storage capacity and distribution services at North Tees. The nearby deep water complex of Tees Port is the thriving base for the company’ s shipping services, distributing products to customers around the world.
Annually SABIC brings £ 400m into the local economy through payroll, goods, services and utilities.
Now we’ ll crack on with investing in people
SABIC’ s senior manager responsible for HR in the UK says the company will become increasingly focused on investing in its staff after completing the multi-million pound upgrade to the Olefins 6 Cracker at Wilton.
Named Top Employer 2016, the firm has an established reputation for ensuring employees are given every opportunity to fulfil their talent.
But Anne Yare revealed that the development of its people will step up a further notch in the months and years ahead.
She said:“ We’ re convinced that having professional, motivated and qualified colleagues is the key to competing in the marketplace. While technology can be bought, we believe people make the real difference.
“ The‘ go live’ of our Gas Cracking Project means the company’ s future on Teesside is secure for decades ahead, which makes longer term workforce planning all the more important.
“ As we continue to prepare for the future, it is important that we use our demographic data to understand our recruitment and development requirements.
“ Our CEO has committed to continuing to provide real development focus for our people, which we are very proud to say is considered the foundation of our success.”
Each year SABIC sponsors around 40 apprentices, with many making the stepup to take on permanent roles within the organisation.
Anne Yare says SABIC is now focusing on its people.
Yare continued:“ We’ re delighted to be in a position to recruit a number of permanent process technicians across our North Tees and Wilton facilities.
“ Our apprentices who worked to support the Gas Cracking Project are amongst those who’ ll be given the opportunity to apply for permanent positions.”
Typically, SABIC on Teesside also has about 25 company-sponsored staff studying various degrees, enabling them to develop and grow their career.
“ We are very proud of our approach to succession planning and career management,” said Yare.“ We actively encourage our colleagues to take on new areas of responsibilities by rotating them into new roles or providing assignment opportunities, all of which help individuals build a career within SABIC, both in the UK and abroad.”
SABIC has also built close links with local schools and colleges, with many staff acting as STEM( Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassadors, passing on their experience to students and providing an insight to a career in the sector.