COLUMBIA, Md., May 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE:GRA), the leading independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene (PP) process technology, has announced that Engro Corporation Limited (Engro) has in-principle agreed with W.R. Grace & Co. to use its UNIPOL^® PP Process Technology for the Company’s proposed 750KTA PDH-PP plant in Karachi, Pakistan.

Currently, Pakistan spends about USD 600 million on annual import of polypropylene. Engro’s PDH-PP complex is the first polypropylene plant to be built in Pakistan and aims to address the increasing demand in the local polypropylene market and reduce the country’s reliance on imports.

“Our proposed integrated PDH-PP complex can be a significant milestone for Engro and Pakistan for the domestic growth of polypropylene, and the enrichment of the petrochemicals landscape for the country,” said Ghias Khan, President and CEO, Engro Corporation. “With our commitment to further invest in projects that are catalysts for growth in Pakistan and after studying the commercial feasibility of a PDH-PP complex, we have selected Grace as a technology partner based on its extensive experience and cutting-edge solutions that have advanced such projects globally.”

Laura Schwinn, President of Grace’s Specialty Catalysts business said, “We are honored to be part of the first polypropylene plant in Pakistan, and we are excited that Engro has selected our UNIPOL^® PP Process Technology for their proposed project. We know that our process technology and our catalysts will provide Engro with the reliability, versatility, and product capabilities that they need to be a dominant player in the region. We look forward to seeing their business grow and flourish in the years to come.”

Grace's all gas-phase UNIPOL^® PP Process delivers technology, innovation, and services for plant lifetime performance. The versatile process technology provides the broadest range of PP homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact copolymers in the industry.

The UNIPOL^® PP process is a state-of-the-art engineering technology that achieves mechanical and operational simplicity and delivers leading total installed cost and operating expense, accelerated project schedules, fast startups, grade transitions, and business results. The process technology, coupled with Grace’s proprietary catalyst and donor systems and the UNIPOL UNIPPAC^® Process Control System, allows for maximum performance.

All UNIPOL^® PP licensees can take advantage of Grace’s strong long-term commitment to ensure their success through support which includes continuous process and product improvements, access to superior catalysts and donor technology, and on-going global technical support for the lifetime of the plant.

Visit Grace’s website for more information about Grace polyolefin catalysts and process technology.

About Grace’s UNIPOL^® PP Process Technology

Grace is the leading supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and has the broadest portfolio of polyolefin catalyst technologies of any independent polyethylene/polypropylene catalyst producer. Grace is an industry leader in offering UNIPOL^® PP Process Technology, 6^th Generation non-phthalate CONSISTA^® catalysts and donors, and UNIPOL UNIPPAC^® Process Control software.

About Grace

Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and engineered materials. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customers around the world. With approximately 3,900 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 70 countries. More information about Grace is available at grace.com.

About Engro

Having a rich history of over 50 years, Engro Corporation is Pakistan’s premier conglomerate with a diverse portfolio of businesses across the four verticals of energy and related infrastructure, agricultural outputs, petrochemicals and telecommunication infrastructure. With decades of experience in petrochemicals and a commitment to further develop its footprint in the petrochemicals vertical, Engro started conducting the commercial feasibility of the Polypropylene facility, based on PDH technology, in April 2019. Recently, the group had announced to invest over $30 million to conduct engineering, design and technical studies for its proposed Polypropylene complex.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such statements generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “will,” “expects,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,” “continues,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, expected financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology and cost reduction initiatives, plans and objectives; and markets for securities. For these statements, Grace claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Like other businesses, Grace is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause its actual results to differ materially from its projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: risks related to foreign operations, especially in emerging regions; the costs and availability of raw materials, energy and transportation; the effectiveness of its research and development and growth investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and businesses; developments affecting Grace’s outstanding indebtedness; developments affecting Grace's pension obligations; its legal and environmental proceedings; environmental compliance costs; the inability to establish or maintain certain business relationships; the inability to hire or retain key personnel; natural disasters such as storms and floods, and force majeure events; changes in tax laws and regulations; international trade disputes, tariffs, and sanctions; the potential effects of cyberattacks; and those additional factors set forth in Grace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are readily available on the internet at www.sec.gov. Reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on Grace's projections and forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates those projections and statements are made. Grace undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revision to the projections and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this announcement.

Media Relations
Caitlin Leopold
T +1 410.531.8870
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Investor Relations
Jason Hershiser
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Jason.hershiser@grace.com