Leading French specialty chemicals company Arkema showcased its portfolio of its cutting-edge technologies for meeting the challenges of new energies, recycling, urbanisation and mobility at the recent Big 5 construction expo held in Dubai.

 

One of the largest building and construction exhibition in the region, the Big 5 covers the full construction cycle and brings the entire portfolio of building materials, construction products, and solutions together under one roof. 

 

Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials. 

 

Over the last 20 years, Arkema has been operating in the Middle East and now grown in size and importance, gradually establishing itself as a truly local and regional recognized French innovative specialty chemicals company. 

 

With its regional headquarters, established in Dubai, and its affiliates in the region, Arkema has been supplying the oil and gas, petrochemicals and construction markets in the region and has developed strong relationship with key customers.

 

This year, as an exhibitor, Arkema presented two stands representing two of its business units: 

•The Fluorochemicals business with its refrigerant gases (Forane products range)

• Bostik with its wide range of products dedicated to the building and construction market.

 

On its participation, Bertrand Jausseme, Managing Director, Arkema Middle East, said: "We are thrilled that the Arkema Group could take part in this great exhibition. Arkema has a long history in the Middle East, since its commencement in 2001."

 

"Creating a local presence goes to show our commitment to helping our partners and customers in the region lay the foundations for their future and achieve their vision of a thriving and diversified economy," he stated. 

 

Jausseme pointed out that Arkema Fluorochemicals had been present in Africa and the Middle Eastern region for over a decade. 

 

"In the countries where we operate, our brand Forane is having a strong presence among our partners that appreciate the quality of our products and have trust in our brand image, which has been developed for many years now," he stated.

 

"Our products are distributed and used every day amongst several segments in the constructions industry; to name/mention a few: OEM (original equipment manufacturers), cooling and refrigeration processes, automotive and transportation facilities and for after sales market (maintenance contractors) mainly," he added. 

 

Bostik, the adhesive solutions division of Arkema, has been present in the region since 2016. Last year, the company sealed a partnership deal with Gerflor Middle East for the manufacture and distribution of products to address the needs of a broad range of construction clients in the wall and floor and sealing and bonding segments. 

 

With over 50% of Bostik’s turnover created in the sealing and bonding, wall and floor and DIY construction markets, the participation in the Big5 Exhibition was substantial. 

 

After almost two years of the pandemic, the team was thrilled to meet in person their clients and partners - bringing new life to Bostik’s long tradition of creating strong relationships, said the top official. 

 

He pointed out that due to the Covid crisis, Arkema had faced a lot of demand and supply and logistics challenges. "But our resilient attitude has helped us grow and reach this far. We now see great  opportunities ahead and our presence in the Big 5 2021 was the best way to broadcast it," he added.

 

"At the four-day event, we were able to meet customer/clients face to face and maintain and develop with them our business relationship. We showcased the best of our technologies at the booth and also we had our technical team to provide information on Arkema's full range of refrigeration gases and innovative solutions/retrofits to the visitors," he added.

 

Jan Emmanuel, the Sales Director EMEA, said: "Our participation at Big 5 was key as our Forane brand in the Middle East is strong, thanks to more than 15 years of hard work to get recognition from the users."

 

"During the pandemic, we were not able to meet our customers, so it was important for us to reinforce our intimacy with local and key players. The coming years will be full of challenges and the Arkema team is looking forward to expand in this area," he added.

 

the French group offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, inter alia, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. 

 

With the ambition to become in 2024, a pure player in specialty materials, the group is structured into three complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to specialty materials - adhesive solutions, advanced materials and coating solutions- accounting for some 80% of group sales, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. 

 

The group reported sales of €7.9 billion in 2020, and operates in some 55 countries with 20,600 employees worldwide.-TradeArabia News Service