Sao Paulo's New Monorail System Using SABIC's High-performance LEXAN(TM) Resin Represents Firsts for Monte Meao and Bombardier


Driven by industry trends that emphasize design, performance and sustainability, rail interior provider Monte Meão has introduced an innovative design and manufacturing concept for the seat banks of São Paulo’s new BOMBARDIER INNOVIA Monorail 300 system, Line 15-Silver. The result: highly durable, lightweight seating created in less than half the time and at a substantially lower cost.



The new monorail seating solution was created for Bombardier Transportation, a global leader in transportation, using injection-molding rather than fiber-reinforced plastic and traditional thermoset processing methods - marking the first time an injection-molding seating solution has been specified by Bombardier. The move to injection-molding represents a first for Monte Meão too, as it seeks to help its rail coach customers answer industry trends of light weighting, increased passenger comfort and sustainability.



Early in the design process, Monte Meão enlisted the support of SABIC to help them optimize the design of the seats, provide tool development assistance, processing support, material certification and color recommendations. Monte Meão identified the high performance LEXAN FST 3403 resin, suitable for its high impact resistance, the malleability required to develop visually attractive designs and its light weight. The resin also complied with the most stringent fire safety regulations in the world - and, importantly, was suitable for use in injection molding.



“SABIC’s support truly enabled us to create a seating system that represents a departure from traditional approaches, one that will help to transport the people of São Paulo comfortably and safely,” said Fernando Cerqueira, CEO of Monte Meão. “This new approach has also opened the door to the many advantages injection molding offers over FRP (fiber reinforced plastic), and we are very excited to be able to offer a next-generation solution to our customers.”



With injection molding, Monte Meão successfully reduced its overall manufacturing costs compared with the more time-consuming thermoset process. Injection molding reduces the likelihood of variations within the seats and therefore seats can be more easily replaced or repaired. Additionally, seats made using SABIC’s resin may be up to 15 percent lighter, helping to reduce the monorail’s CO2 emissions. Unlike thermoset solutions, they can also be recycled at the end of the product’s lifespan.



Bombardier Project Director Chris Fifield, said, “Injection-molded seating is the key to a more visually impressive interior, providing the strength to withstand the use of hundreds of thousands of passengers through time and being lighter in weight to contribute towards lower energy consumption. When fully operational, this system will transport more than 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, so durability is a key requirement. This solution will also simplify cleaning and part replacement operations.”



“Both Monte Meão and Bombardier have taken a bold step away from the traditional FRP solution to introduce new concepts that can enhance performance, comfort, sustainability and manufacturing efficiency,” Kim Choate, Director of Mass Transportation for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business, said. “So often, design and innovation are contingent upon the availability of the right mix of candidate materials and engineering support, which SABIC was pleased to provide.”



SABIC’s LEXAN FST3403 resin also has potential commercial applications in bus seating, as well public places where seating is needed, such as stadiums and auditoriums.



More information about SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business and its portfolio of EN 45545-compliant solutions for its customers in the monorail and railway sectors can be found on the website www.sabic-ip.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.



ABOUT SABIC

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.



SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 25.3 billion (US$ 6.7 billion) in 2013. Sales revenues for 2013 totaled SR 189 billion (US$ 50.4 billion). Total assets stood at SR 339.1 billion (US$ 90.4 billion) at the end of 2013.



SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 19 dedicated Technology Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India, China and South Korea. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with around 40,000 employees worldwide. SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.



Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.



ABOUT INNOVATIVE PLASTICS

SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with an 80-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as Healthcare, Transportation, Automotive, Electrical, Lighting and Consumer Electronics. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).



Innovative Plastics Media Contacts

Susan LeBourdais

E: media.inquiries@sabic-ip.com

T: +1-413-448-6876



Agency Media Contacts

James Page

E: james.page@interpublic.com

P: +44 207-067-0206

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