Starting April 2024, SIBUR will revamp its management structure, shifting from product-focused divisions to an industry-based model aimed at accelerating the development of sectors that consume polypropylene, polyethylene, and synthetic rubbers.

 

The company will replace its Basic Polymers, Plastics and Organic Synthesis, and Synthetic Rubbers divisions with new industry-oriented divisions, including: Agribusiness, Recycling, Flexible Packaging, Engineering and Transport, Healthcare and Oil and Gas Processing.

 

SIBUR said its “primary goal is to satisfy demand from Russian customers that are meeting the needs of socially important industries.” Since 2014, the company has more than doubled its production of core products and launched 27 new grades of petrochemical products in 2023 alone, with potential annual sales of 111,000 tonnes.

 

Thanks to an intensive R&D effort, SIBUR has consistently brought innovative products to market, replacing less eco-friendly and energy-efficient alternatives, reducing imports, and expanding uses for proven products. Over the past decade, domestic consumption of polypropylene and polyethylene has risen 35%, while polymer imports to Russia have fallen more than 30% since 2014.

 

Looking ahead, the gradual ramp-up at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex and the new Tobolsk DGP-2 polypropylene facility—set to begin operations in the next few years—will further boost domestic polymer consumption and support import substitution programs for finished synthetic materials.

 

SIBUR emphasized that its vision is “to support the comprehensive development of every petrochemical-consuming industry, to meet growing demand and to promote the use of high-tech materials.”

 

The company notes that Russia has untapped potential in polymer use. Today, polymers account for 37% of Russian packaging compared with 50% in other countries, while their use in the housing and utilities sector is just 40% versus 85% in Europe. Per capita polymer consumption in Russia (30 kg) lags behind countries like Turkey (52 kg).

 

SIBUR says the industry-based model will “expand opportunities for Russian manufacturers to sell their products by encouraging the use of domestic solutions, finding new niches for their use.” 

 

The company has invested heavily in customer-focused initiatives over the past decade and operates a network of R&D centers that enable it to rapidly develop solutions. Its new model will allow customers “to work alongside the company to test ideas and hypotheses for the development of product lines and applications.”