Once completed, the Corpus Christi plant will be the largest of its kind in the world and will employ 250 full-time workers.
Sarens is participating in the construction project by providing a variety of high lifting capacity cranes to assist in the assembly of the plant.
The plant will be capable of producing between 1.1 million and 1.3 million metric tonnes of purified terephthalic acid (PTA), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The resumption of construction of the Jumbo plastics project will bring great social benefit to Corpus Christi in Texas as it is estimated to generate up to 2,400 jobs at peak construction.
The plastics factory project has gone through several stages since its initial planning more than 10 years ago, as construction had been stalled for several years. Corpus Christi Polymers bought the plant and in February 2019 it was planned to start construction later that year, with a target start-up date of May 2020. However, delays in the project and the onset of the pandemic truncated these plans. Construction finally resumed in 2022 with the intention of completing the project by 2025.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental solutions, has been involved in the construction of the project by providing a wide range of advanced machinery to assist with the lifting of ultra-heavy loads.
For these tasks the Sarens team has selected a wide variety of cranes with different load capacities, such as the LR1300 crawler crane, with a load capacity of 300 tons and great mobility thanks to its crawler mounting, as well as the CC 2800 model with a load capacity of up to 660 tons; or the LR 1400 model for loads of up to 400 tons. Completing the list of units used for the project during the 16 months Sarens will be on site are the following units: RT 100T, LR 1350, GR 300XL, GR 1200XL, GR 1000XL, RT 9150, GRT8100 and GR1600.
When the plant comes into operation, projected for 2025, it will represent the largest PET/PTA vertically integrated facility in the world, producing between 1.1 million and 1.3 million metric tons of purified terephthalic acid, known as PTA, and polyethylene terephthalate, or PET.
These materials are present in many of the objects we wear or use in everyday life. PET, a form of polymer, is used in part of the production process for plastic bottles or packaging for food and beverages. PTA, on the other hand, is used to make polyester fibers for clothing, sheets, curtains and bedspreads.
The use of the latest technologies in the industry, present in the plant, will allow innovation in the processes, achieving products with key technical advantages over packaging materials from other factories in areas such as durability, heat resistance and 100% recyclability. The plant will also produce its own industrial water through desalination, minimizing the impact on Corpus Christi's drinking water supply.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/