Strengthening its presence in the Middle East, compounding systems specialist Coperion (Stuttgart / Germany; www.coperion.com) has set up Coperion Middle East (Jubail / Saudi Arabia), a joint venture company run together with Saudi Arabia’s Golden Wing (Jubail; www.goldenwing.com.sa). The new company will be managed by Golden Wing’s Ayman Gabr.

This is not the first time Coperion and Golden Wing are cooperating. The Saudi group has tended to numerous high-capacity compounding lines put in place by Coperion, and has taken care of the local servicing. Such tasks can now be handled by the jv, which is to supply replacement parts and servicing, offer an experienced local servicing staff and carry out large-scale repairs and overhauls. In addition, Coperion Middle East also boasts a servicing workshop and a comprehensive replacement parts warehouse.

Coperion already services a large number of extruders and compounding lines in the Middle East. Just last year, the German company landed a huge USD 100m contract from Borouge (Abu Dhabi / UAE; www.borouge.com) to supply the entire materials handling systems for the third polyolefin expansion stage in Ruwais / UAE – see Plasteurope.com of 15.03.2011. Commenting on the new joint venture, Coperion executive board member Thomas Kehl said: The joint venture holds a strategical key position in our plans to expand our business in extrusion systems for the plastics processing industry and in logistics systems for the plastics and aluminium producing industries.”