Albemarle Opens Regional Office in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Specialty chemicals maker Albemarle Corporation has opened a new regional sales office in Dubai to leverage Albemarle's global leadership in the development, manufacturing and marketing of catalysts, polymer additives and fine chemicals to meet growing market needs in India and the Middle East.

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Demand for catalysts, polymer additives and other specialty chemicals is on the rise in India and the Middle East as countries in the region begin to build and operate refineries to upgrade crude oil, process petrochemicals, and manufacture plastics and other downstream products.

"India and the Middle East represent significant centers of future world economic expansion and tremendous prospective business development opportunities for Albemarle," said Huub Cuijpers, Albemarle managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "We are pleased to establish a permanent presence in Dubai which will allow us to further enhance our level of service delivery and collaboration with our existing clients, and position the company for continued success in this important region."

Mr. Ahmad Khalifeh has been named managing director of the Albemarle Middle East office. Khalifeh is currently general manager of Jordan Bromine Company, a joint venture between Albemarle and Arab Potash Company.

Khalifeh is joined by Mr. Remi Argiro, Albemarle sales manager for refinery catalysts in the Middle East and India, and Mr. Mohammed Sabri, Albemarle business development manager for polymer additives and fine chemicals.

Albemarle is a leading global innovator, manufacturer and supplier of: -- Flame retardants for plastics, foams and textiles used in electronics, appliances, wire & cable, construction & insulation materials, furniture & furnishings; -- Refining catalysts and additives used to remove sulfur, nitrogen and other contaminants from refinery feedstocks, process heavier and cheaper petroleum feedstocks into high-quality fuels, and convert feedstocks into more valuable products; -- Petrochemical catalysts, including organometallic catalysts for the production of polyolefin plastics and fine chemical synthesis, and oxychlorination catalysts for the production of PVC; -- Antioxidants used in polyolefin plastics processing, lubricants and petroleum-based and biofuels; and polymer curing agents for injection- molding, spray-coating and other systems -- Bromine and derivative chemicals for a wide variety of applications, from oilfield clear completion fluids and industrial water treatment chemicals to organic synthesis and the production of pharmaceutical intermediates; and -- Fine Chemistry Services for supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients, agricultural chemicals and pharma & ag intermediates.

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of highly engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics; petroleum and petrochemical processing; transportation and industrial products; pharmaceuticals; agricultural products; and construction and packaging materials. The Company operates in three business segments-Polymer Additives, Catalysts and Fine Chemicals, and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. Learn more about Albemarle at http://www.albemarle.com/.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.