U.S. advanced materials makers recognize Aramco for its pioneering nonmetallics work

The American Composite Manufacturers Association (ACMA), a trade group for makers of advanced materials, has given its Pioneer Award to Senior Vice President for Technical Services Ahmad Al-Sa'adi to recognize Aramco's innovative work deploying nonmetallics.

Aramco has growing network of nonmetallic pipelines that is now nearly 6,000 miles (9,656 km) long; it used more than 6,200 miles of nonmetallic rebar for a flood mitigation channel at its Jazan refinery, making it one of the largest projects in the world to use glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebar, and it set up a manufacturing plant to make the specialized rebar in the Kingdom.

The award was accepted on Al-Sa'adi's behalf by Aramco Americas Technical Services Manager Tarik Basrawi.

Basrawi, who is a member of ACMA's board, said the organization values its partnership with Aramco.

“The work that Aramco has done in the nonmetallics space is compelling and provides a path forward as the world looks for new ways to develop infrastructure that is safer and more resilient,” Basrawi said.

While at CAMX, the Aramco Americas procurement and supply chain team delivered a presentation about business opportunities in the Kingdom, conducted sourcing sessions, and explored the latest technologies offered by participants.

“We spoke with attendees about the enormous investment opportunities in nonmetallics in the Kingdom and shared with them how they could join the Aramco supplier network,” said Bader AlHarbi, Head of Procurement, Aramco Americas. “To date, Aramco Americas has helped forge partnerships that have led to more than $500 million in investments in nonmetallic projects in the Kingdom, and we aim to help attract more in the future.”

CAMX is a major event for companies working in the fields of nonmetallics, advanced materials, 3D printing and additive manufacturing.

Aramco has been developing and deploying nonmetallic solutions for more than 20 years as they offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over traditional materials.

Nonmetallic rebar, for example, allows engineers to build in corrosive environments without fear that traditional steel rebar will rust, causing concrete to crack and hurting structural integrity. Rusted steel rebar and weakened concrete have been cited in the U.S. media as factors that contributed to the collapse of a high-rise residential building in Miami in June.

As part of its innovation initiatives, Aramco recently helped found the Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials with the American Concrete Institute.