MAASTRICHT, Netherlands—Arlanxeo is entering into a collaborative research and development framework in Saudi Arabia with Dhahran Techno Valley Co., the materials company disclosed on July 11.
DTVC is a wholly owned company of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral, a major academic institution for the oil and gas sector in Saudi Arabia.
The move represents "the next phase of Arlanxeo's growth plans to expand its R&D efforts into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the synthetic rubber maker said. The collaboration will involve setting up an elastomers-related R&D center in Dhahran Techno Valley, Saudi Arabia.
"Arlanxeo will seek to leverage the technical know-how and core competencies of DVTC and KFUPM [towards] building an innovative elastomers industry in Saudi Arabia," Arlanxeo CEO Donald Chen said in a statement.
This collaboration is "a natural fit for Arlanxeo as a member of the Saudi Aramco family," he added. "KFUPM as an academic institution has deep ties to Saudi Aramco in terms of R&D partnership.
"DTVC has a long-standing reputation for pursuing innovative excellence and is home to a state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure."
For Saudi Aramco, Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, senior vice president of downstream, said the cooperation would contribute to the growth aspirations of Arlanxeo as well as Saudi Aramco's broader chemicals growth strategy.
The Aramco executive added that "KFUPM would enable Arlanxeo to accelerate development of growth opportunities integrating the strong feedstock position of its parent, Saudi Aramco."