Dear clients and partners,

In the run-up to the New Year festivities, it is customary to look back and evaluate the results of the outgoing year, and plan ahead for the future.

This was an extremely challenging year for all of us. The 2020 agenda was defined by many challenges, such as the pandemic, with its millions of COVID-19 cases, incredible ups and downs in the global markets, lockdowns and closed borders. However, all these unprecedented developments had a silver lining. Our way of life has changed, as have the economy, business practices, rules of communication and even attitudes towards hygiene. 2020 has taught us to be more flexible, resourceful and sensitive to the needs of our employees, clients and partners.

But do you know what’s incredible? Despite the setbacks and challenges, almost all partners published in our magazine note that the crisis has not crippled their businesses, but motivated them to transform, unlocking new opportunities. Companies are expanding to adjacent markets, rethinking their pricing, joining efforts with each other and offering new solutions to their clients. This issue of SIBUR for Clients focuses on this year’s results and the outlook for the future. We will show you how businesses adapt to the new external headwinds using case studies from polymer processors and with an article on operating in export markets during the pandemic. Despite the plummeting prices for many products, many players in the petrochemical market are closing the year only marginally in the red or even in the black, while maintaining their CAPEX programmes and setting their sights on growth in their development strategies. Even faced with a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, almost all industry players published in the magazine are optimistic about the market’s prospects for 2021–2022.

A year and half ago, the Company launched SIBUR PolyLab in Russia, its unique R&D arm for the petrochemical industry. In this issue of the magazine, PolyLab employees and representatives from the sales and technical service functions of SIBUR and its partners will lay out in detail for the first time their research, new products and training programmes that have been implemented at PolyLab. I highly recommend you take a look at these articles! PolyLab is not only a platform to support SIBUR’s operations. In their case studies, our partners share their stories of how they leveraged PolyLab’s expertise and technology to tackle their business challenges, improve product quality and train their people.

Another important publication in the issue focuses on the launch of ZapSibNeftekhim, Russia’s largest basic polymer production facility. Further highlights of this challenging year include growth in non-commodity exports, import substitution in the polyethylene and polypropylene markets and the opening of new opportunities for domestic polymer processors.

New year 2021 is just around the corner. We can and must bring with us into the coming year every positive experience from these past twelve months, as well as the invaluable takeaways from all its headwinds and challenges. Although often bitter, the lessons we learned were just further proof of how important trust and partnership, flexibility and simple positive heart-felt attitudes actually are.

To all colleagues, on behalf of SIBUR, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May next year bring you the best of health, joy and success! I hope all your production and commercial plans come true. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2021!

If you have any questions, suggestions or opinions (including criticisms), do not hesitate to email them to dearcustomer@sibur.ru

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