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BPEX
President of EMCC visits the Beaumont Polyethylene Plant
During his visit, Chapman spoke with workers about the project and the visible progress at the construction site. A focus of the trip was also to share with employees how EMCC did last year as a whole. Chapman also noted successes related to safety and reliability throughout EMCC. “It was a big year in 2016 for this facility. It was here that we produced the first commercial production of our new, differentiated polyethylene Exceed XP. It’s also here that we’re starting the construction of our new 650,000-ton polyethylene line that’ll increase the capacity of this site by some 65 percent versus where it is today,” says Chapman. The commercialization last year of three new products, including Exceed XP polyethylene, the high-toughness impact copolymer polypropylene, and a low-viscosity VistaMaxx product, was a success. It was one of several successes that had a positive impact on the bottom line. “We had record earnings in several of our product families, including synthetics, Infineum, Santoprene, Vistamaxx, and the olefins and polyolefins businesses. We had a series of highlights in the other product families. Our differentiated chemical intermediates had record sales. We had improvement in sales in all the segments we serve in the fluids business with the exception of oil and gas,” says Chapman. During 2016, EMCC earned $4.6 billion making up 60 percent of the Corporation’s earnings.
Before daybreak, the rumbling sound of tractor trailers and heavy construction equipment can already be heard — evidence of the construction work well underway at the Beaumont polyethylene plant. “The traffic management at this construction site has been exemplary and without incident. We’ve had 400,000 tons of limestone base delivered here so far. That’s a tractor trailer arriving every 90 seconds five days a week for three months,” says Sean McNelis, interconnects and enabling works construction manager for the Beaumont polyethylene expansion project. While tractor trailers deliver their loads, crews work to construct new rail yards, temporary facilities and vast material laydown yards at the expansion site for the Beaumont polyethylene plant. The stand-alone site is the epicenter for one of the largest ExxonMobil expansion projects along the Gulf Coast. It was also where the president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company (EMCC) Neil Chapman paid a visit late February. The visit for McNelis and his colleagues was an exciting opportunity to share with others the progress made thus far. “It’s very rewarding to have the President of the chemical company visit your site and not only share with him and others the work already accomplished but also gain insight into how the company is doing overall and what is on the horizon,” says McNelis.
(Left) Expansion site, Beaumont Polyethylene Plant Workers use tractors to move gravel over railway tracks.
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(Right) Expansion site, Beaumont Polyethylene Plant Neil Chapman speaks to workers.
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