The Hague, February 8, 2023 - ARLANXEO, a global leader in performance elastomers, today announced the opening of a new 65 kiloton-per-annum polybutadiene (BR) production line in Brazil. The new production line supplements ARLANXEO’s existing production capacity in Brazil, and reinforces our commitment to meeting customer demand for reliable, locally produced BR in Latin America.

Commenting on the successful start-up of the new production line, Donald Chen, CEO, ARLANXEO, said: “ARLANXEO continues to invest in high growth markets, and our new polybutadiene production line reflects our confidence in Brazil and the broader Latin American market. We are delighted that the production line was constructed and commissioned safely, and we look forward to supplying our customers in Latin America with reliable, locally produced BR.”

The new production line is located in the south of Brazil in the Triunfo petrochemical complex in Rio Grande do Sul. ARLANXEO's commitment to Brazil includes recent investments in a new nitrile rubber production line in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, and a new warehouse operation for polychloroprene in São Paulo, together with the existing world scale production facilities in Caxias, Triunfo, Cabo and a business center in São Paulo.

“ARLANXEO’s state-of-the-art BR production line in Brazil is a direct response to growing demand for BR in Latin America. Customers can rely on ARLANXEO to deliver high quality, locally produced BR for the tire and plastic markets, without needing to navigate complex global supply chains,” said Angelo Brazil, LATAM Regional Head, ARLANXEO. Polybutadiene is produced by chemically linking multiple molecules of butadiene to form giant molecules, or polymers. The polymer is noted for its high resistance to abrasion, low heat buildup, and resistance to cracking, and is widely used to produce tire treads, belts, hoses, gaskets and other automobile parts, as well as heels and soles for footwear.

About ARLANXEO

ARLANXEO is one of the world's largest synthetic rubber producers and a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, a leading energy and chemicals producer. ARLANXEO develops, produces and markets high-performance rubbers with sales of about 3.5 billion Euros, with a presence at more than 12 production sites in 9 countries and 7 innovation centers around the world. Its products are used in a wide range of applications: from the automotive and tire industries to the electrical, construction, and oil and gas industries.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ARLANXEO management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.