ASPC Eyes Rosplast as Russia Divests from Europe
From June 6th until June 9 this year, more than 400 companies active in the petrochemical industry gathered in Moscow for the 13th international Rosplast Exhibition. The firms, comprising of various technology, equipment and product manufacturers and suppliers, came from numerous countries, including Iran, India, Italy, China, Taiwan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Belarus and other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Iran’s Arya Sasol Polymer Company (ASPC) took part in the major event, with its pavilion set up in a prominent and noticeable area within exposition grounds. From the early hours of the exhibition, Arya Sasol’s pavilion was eagerly welcomed by petrochemical marketers and customers alike.
The ASPC realized three primary objectives from the event: laying ground for increasing its various production grades, facilitating its foreign trade relations and expanding its Eurasian market share, specifically in Russia.
Consequently, a total of 80 new customers initiated negotiations with Arya Sasol during the exposition. Furthermore, dozens of meetings were also held with the company’s long-established partners.
“Decisive” was how Iran’s ambassador to Russia described Arya Sasol’s participation at the event. “Arya Sasol is one of Iran’s credible petrochemical companies renowned for its excelling capabilities and product variety,” he said, adding that the company’s very noticeable participation in the global market is one of its key advantages.
The Rosplast exhibition allowed the ASPC to further identify the needs of its customers and to expand direct sales, helping to further add variety to the company’s production grades and reduce end product cost. Despite sanctions, the event also facilitated the ASPC’s access to needed equipment, specifically in Chinese, Korean and Russian markets. Moreover, the ASPC took part in positive negotiations allowing easier financial trade with Russian banks.
The international gathering was a unique opportunity allowing Russian companies to increase cooperation with their Iranian counterparts - specifically the ASPC - at a time when Russia is moving away from the European market. As a prominent example, Sibur, Russia’s largest petrochemical company, negotiated with the ASPC to procure spare parts and chemical material. Moreover, ASPC experts also visited a number of sites across Russia in a bid to further expand reach into the Russian market. Additionally, the ASPC’s extrusion coating product was specifically well received among marketers visiting the company at the Rosplast exposition.
The event comes as Iran has turned into an attractive petrochemical hub for international investment. Vast oil and gas reserves, access to international waters, easy access to eastern Asia and African export markets, a well-trained workforce, locally designed technology and a low product end-price are among Iran’s advantages in the industry.
Additionally, the Rosplast exhibition took place at a time when both Tehran and Moscow are most willing to increase industrial cooperation, allowing Russian companies to replace previous European partners with Iranian counterparts. It is hence expected that Iran will experience a boost in international petrochemical cooperation as a result of the event.
