Driving Industry Leadership.. Engineering and Project Management at SABIC

At SABIC, Engineering & Project Management (E&PM) plays a vital role in realizing our vision to become the preferred world leader in chemicals. 

It provides the critical support needed during the engineering, construction and operational phases of our major petrochemical projects around the world – establishing the structures, systems, and assets that support our plants throughout their entire lifecycle. 

This vital work enables SABIC’s projects to maximize their value realization and reach their full potential, driving the growth of our business - as well as our industry leadership.

ENHANCING EFFICIENCIES 

As the center of excellence for Engineering and Project Management, E&PM is responsible for delivering globally competitive projects that are capital efficient, innovative and achieve the highest Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security (EHSS) standards. Through this crucial work, E&PM creates an environment where manufacturing can thrive and be at its most effective. 

Even during our most challenging times, the solid foundations established by E&PM have allowed SABIC to maintain the highest standards in plant efficiency, reliability and EHSS. Our commitment to maintaining the highest E&PM standards wherever we operate ultimately benefits our customers, who rely on our material solutions to solve some of their toughest challenges. 

THE FUTURE OF E&PM 

At SABIC, digitalization is driving the future of E&PM. Technology, especially advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and robotics, is poised to play an increasingly important role and deliver added value to E&PM. During the early phases of a project, for example, the deeper insights gained through data can be used to better understand equipment performance, and mitigate future issues that may occur during the operational phase. 

Essentially, a digital-centric approach to E&PM is enabling greater connectivity between our plants through data sharing, systems integration and enhanced sustainability. Through the implementation of digital twins – virtual modelling designed to accurately reflect physical design -- we are also exploring better value capture and cost efficiencies throughout the entire lifecycle of our plants. 

Another area that has the potential to be transformed digitally is EHSS. This will have major value for our business – not only because EHSS is one of our core values – but also because it is a key competitive differentiator today among customers, regulators, and investors around the world.

In 2021, SABIC E&PM and Corporate Sustainability co-hosted the Plant of the Future Summit, bringing together global functions as part of an effort to educate on sustainability and chart a course for sustainable, transformational change in SABIC growth projects. This forms part of a journey to shift away from the traditional “fit for purpose” approach, and towards a “fit for future” mindset; ensuring that all new assets being designed and built in SABIC continue to be relevant years from now.

INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE

To deliver the most efficient petrochemical projects, we must have E&PM capabilities that meet and surpass the demands of our customers. At SABIC, we achieve this goal by putting our people at the center. We invest in and mobilize our global E&PM talent base to support us on our journey to become the preferred world leader in chemicals.    

As an example, in 2020, SABIC announced 21 long-term agreements (LTAs) with eight engineering firms. These LTAs act as a platform to help build the capabilities of SABIC’s employees through hands-on learning and development in service delivery.  

The strength of our E&PM function reflects our investment in the continuous learning and upskilling of our employees. This propels us to be a global leader in delivering E&PM solutions, fuels our growth globally, and empowers us to deliver “Chemistry that Matters™”.