On October 10, 2023, the Saudi Arabia Branch of Sinopec Nanjing Engineering Co., Ltd. (BSNEI) successfully obtained the Company Registration Certificate issued by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce. This marks the transition of BSNEI from a branch to a subsidiary as BSNEI was rebranded as Sinopec Nanjing Engineering Middle East Co., Ltd. (SNEMEC), positioning SNEI to provide full engineering and execution services to customers in the Middle East in a compliant way.

The post-COVID-19 Middle East has seen ballooning investments in the energy and chemicals sector as major players like Saudi Aramco and SABIC are launching a number of mega projects. To tap into these huge potentials and cultivate a lasting relationship with the key account customers, SNEI initiated the Branch-to-Subsidiary transition endeavor as part of the overarching policy by SEG, SNEI’s parent company, to secure a pipeline of orders in the Saudi market and the Middle East at large. The transition is envisaged to tailor to the needs of marketing promotion, regulatory compliance, bidder pre-qualification, taxation and risk management. A dedicated team was set up to take care of the transition paperwork. A year later, thanks to the support by SNEI company management and relevant functional departments, the Services Investment License was successfully obtained from the Saudi Ministry of Investment, while achieving milestones like changing the company structure and the legal person.

The Branch-to-Subsidiary transition sets the stage for steady, robust and transformative growth of SNEI’s international expansion. As a next step, SNEMEC will strive to achieve high-quality development by further adapting to the localization requirements, forging a low cost center, speeding up the construction of the pipe fabrication shop, modernizing the equipment, and facilitating the operation of the Engineering Department as an entity, in order to enhance the project execution capabilities and secure a sustainable development of international business.