The Industrial Cities & Free Zone Cluster in Abu Dhabi, operated by AD Ports Group, has evolved into an important base for the plastics processing industry in the region.
The Cluster, which spans an area of 550 sq km, is currently home to over 1,500 local, regional, and international companies. This includes Kizad Polymers Park, a 3,454,457-m2 zone launched in 2019 near the deep-water Khalifa Port, which has been specifically designed for the global plastic and polymers industry, in an effort to promote the development of the polymers downstream sector in the UAE.
Already, the Park has attracted some 95 companies, all active in the polymers sector. As Abdullah Al Hameli, head of the Industrial Cities & Free Zone Cluster at AD Ports Group, explained: “By addressing the needs of companies operating in the polymer sector through swift and cost-effective access to polymers feedstock, best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure, and logistics services, we are contributing to Abu Dhabi’s transformation into a major global hub for polymers conversion, as well as the nation’s industrial diversification efforts.”
The transformation, which aims to be complete by 2025, is in line with the UAE's strategy to grow the industrial sector and enhance its role in stimulating the country’s economy, he added, as well as with ongoing rising demand for the development of a robust national polymer sector. “We are working with our partners to accelerate investment and innovation in the region’s plastics downstream industry,” said Hameli.
According to a report by Fortune Business Insights, the global polymer market is expected to grow from $439.28 billion in 2021 to $616.82 billion by 2028, at a combined annual growth rate of 5 per cent between 2021 and 2028.
Based on a Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi survey, the total investment in the Cluster is estimated at more than AED 140 billion.
As a hub for the global polymers sector, the area contributes strongly to the region’s GDP and job creation. The Kizad Polymers Park has the potential to produce up to approximately 400,000 tonnes of plastic products annually and caters to various polymers’ segments, including industrial use, such as packaging, construction, and semi-finished products; end-use customers, such as household goods, agriculture, and hygiene products; material science, including compounded and composite materials, and 3D Printing.