Austrian chemicals manufacturer Borealis (Vienna; www.borealisgroup.com) has announced the creation of a new mobility business unit, which it will operate together with its joint venture Borouge (Abu Dhabi / United Arab Emirates; www.borouge.com). The new unit is aimed at providing global supply capability to support the group’s global automotive customers. In establishing the unit, Borealis hopes to provide cost-effective material innovations to its customers in Europe and South and North America, as well as to improve the speed of responsiveness and provide technical and sales support.

The unit itself will be divided into specific automotive OEM teams whose managers will be dedicated to a specific OEM or OEM group. Tier One suppliers serving OEMs in countries outside of Europe and North and South America will be able to coordinate their activities with Borouge. Borealis hopes that this arrangement also will strengthen its working relationship with its joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc, Abu Dhabi / UAE; www.adnoc.com).

Commenting on Borouge’s mobility business unit, Borealis said it was focused on enhancing its customer service and compounding facilities in the Asian market. The most recent evidence of these efforts is April’s inauguration of Borouge’s first compounding plant in China – see Plasteurope.com of 23.04.2010 – as well as the company’s plans to build a second such facility in the People’s Republic – see Plasteurope.com of 04.06.2010. The new plant, with an expected capacity of 105,000 t/y, is scheduled to start up in 2012.