Our Journey Begins and Continues with Vision
Company overview
BCI Holding SA (Baalbaki Chemical Industries) is a leading multi-region producer of polyester polyols, polyurethane systems, and specialty adhesives with primary operations across the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa).
BCI Holding SA exemplifies resilience and innovation in the global chemical industry. From its 19th-century textile origins to its current status as a leader in polyurethane systems, the company has navigated market shifts through strategic expansions, backward integration into polyester polyols, technological investments, and a strong commitment to sustainability. Recent expansion into strategic markets, investments in sustainable technologies, and a continued focus on operational excellence underscore its unique agility in a dynamic global chemical industry
With an experienced leadership team, a diversified manufacturing footprint, and a strong focus on customer intimacy, BCI is well positioned to continue its growth in the EMEA and beyond. Future initiatives will emphasize digital transformation, green chemistry, and deeper regional integration, further strengthening its position as the industry’s preferred partner.
Corporate Structure
- Parent Company Headquarters: DIFC Dubai, UAE
- Employees: >600
- Manufacturing Facilities: UAE, Egypt, KSA, Italy, Türkiye
- Distribution & Technical Service Centers: Jordan, Nigeria
- Representative Office: Lebanon
Portfolio
- Polyester polyols (Purol® and Basis® brands)
- Polyurethane systems (Polyrex Rigid®, Polyrex Footwear®, and Polyrex Specialty® brands)
- Specialty adhesives (Ecolad® and Printorex brands)
- CASE Raw materials and Prepolymers (Isorex RF® and PUC® brands)
- Polyurethane auxiliaries (Aminorex®, Silorex®, Addrex® and Matrix® brands)
History
Founding and Early Industrial Roots
The Baalbaki family’s industrial legacy traces back to the mid-1870s, when Izzo Baalbaki established a textile manufacturing plant in Syria to serve markets across the Levant. In the 1920s, the family’s second generation, Rushdi, Kamel, and Omar Baalbaki, broadened its activities through commodity and textile trading in Damascus and Amman, with a procurement office in Beirut.
By the late 1950s, the family expanded further into industrial manufacturing, including steel furniture production under licenses from leading European companies, Linde A.G. and Mauser GmbH. A pivotal milestone came in 1957, when Omar Baalbaki and his son, Dr. Ihsan Baalbaki, established BASACO, later renamed Barada Metallic Industries (BMI). It became one of the Middle East’s early manufacturers of refrigerators, gas ovens, and steel furniture.
Following the nationalization of the family’s industrial businesses in Syria in 1963, Dr. Ihsan Baalbaki relocated to Lebanon, where he founded Industrial Management & Investment Consultants (IMIC) in 1964. IMIC went on to advise more than 30 industrial companies, laying the foundation for the Group’s industrial expansion.
Transition to Polyurethanes and Global Expansion
In the late 1970s, BCI entered the polyurethane industry, promoting PU systems as insulation materials for refrigerators. This shift accelerated in the 1980s with the development of spray foam technologies. By the 1990s, polyurethanes became a core business, after entering into a supply, technical support and trademark Licensing agreement with Bayer A.G. Germany. The inauguration of two 40,000 MT polyester polyol plants — in the UAE’s Hamriyah Free Zone and Egypt’s 6th of October City between 2010 and 2015 — marked a significant leap in backward integration, setting the stage for the emergence of the industry’s regional leader.
Key Milestones
1994
Established the first PU system house in the Middle East region with prepolymer technology.
1998
Signed a Supply and Technical Support Agreement with Bayer A.G. Germany and organized the first Middle East Polyurethane Symposium.
1999
Awarded the Bayer AG Award for sustainable partnership.
2000
Signed a Trademark Licensing Agreement with Bayer AG Germany.
2004
Established BCI Holdings S.A. with the aim of setting up a network of PU system houses in the EMEA region.
2005
Established a polyurethane system house in Hamriyah Free Zone, UAE, to serve the GCC markets
2008
Established a polyurethane system house in 6 of October, Egypt, to serve the Egyptian and African markets.
2010
Acquired Depur Kimya Turkey and established BCI Türkiye AS, a distribution and technical service center for polyurethane systems to serve the Turkish market.
2012
Recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the top 50 companies making an impact in the Arab World.
2013
Inaugurated a plant for the production of polyester polyols, isocyanate prepolymers, and flexible packaging adhesives in Egypt
2014
Introduced the evolved “turtle” as part of BCI’s new corporate identity
2015
Inaugurated a new production facility for polyester polyols, isocyanate prepolymers, and flexible packaging adhesives with a state-of-the-art R&D lab in the United Arab Emirates.
2016
Acquired a majority stake in Polysystem Srl, an Italian producer of PU systems, and established BCI Europe Srl to serve the European polyurethane systems market.
2018
Established the first flexible packaging adhesives manufacturing facility in Türkiye and acquired industrial property in Adana–Tarsus Industrial Zone.
2020
Established UNIMETCO Holdings Ltd. in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) and moved BCI Headquarters to the UAE.
2021
Established a distribution center in Nigeria to better serve the African markets
2022
Took over BASF's polyurethane business in the GCC through the acquisition of BASF Kanoo LLC in Dubai Industrial City (DIC)
2024
Established BCI Arabia and built a state-of-the-art system house for downstream polyurethane systems in Riyadh, serving the KSA market and contributing to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Upgraded its system house and bulk storage facilities in Vedano Olona, Italy with state-of-the-art technology, and converted the plant to operate on solar energy.
2025
Established BCI Jordan, a distribution and technical service center, to support the development of the Jordanian market.
Vision, Mission and Values
Our Vision
We aim to become a global player in the Polyurethane Solutions Industry recognized for its consistent product quality, its exceptional human resource capability, its customer focus, and its commitment to the local communities where it operates.
Our Mission
We are to be the EMEA region's leading and preferred supplier of PU Systems, Polyester Polyols, and PU specialties through a solid commitment to product leadership, operational excellence, and customer intimacy.
Our Values
Integrity & Transparency
Humility & Perseverance
Prudent Entrepreneurship
Financial Discipline
Leadership and Team
Hassane Baalbaki
& Group Managing Director
Holds a BS in Economics and a TD from AUB, Lebanon. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at HBS, INSEAD, and AIF, among others.
Karim Baalbaki
& Group Managing Director
Holds a BBA from AUB, Lebanon, and an MBA with distinction from INSEAD, France. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at HBS, Stanford, London Business School, and AIF, among others.
Marwan Kawas
Group Commercial Director
Holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Hamburg. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at IMD and INSEAD, France.
Ahmad Baalbaki
& Managing Director, BCI Egypt
Holds a BBA and an MBA from the LAU, Lebanon. Attended Exec. Ed. Courses at INSEAD, AIF and HBS.
Wassim Bawab
Holds a BBA and an MBA from AUB, Lebanon. Completed a CPA from New Hampshire Board of Accountancy. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at AUB, INSEAD, and AIF.
Abdul-Rahman Fakhouri
Adhesives Business Unit
Holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from AUB, Lebanon, and an MBA from INSEAD, France.
Mumtaz Misrabi
BCI Levant
Holds a BS in Chemistry from Damascus University, Syria. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at AUB, Lebanon.
Khaled Khayat
BCI Arabia
Holds a BS in Chemistry from Beirut Arab University, Lebanon. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at AUB, Lebanon.
Matteo Bleynat
BCI Europe
Holds a Diploma in Plastic Materials from Istituto Tecnico Industriale Varese, Italy.
Mohamedali Hodeib
BCI UAE
Holds a BSc in environmental health from AUB, Lebanon; and an MBA ESCP Business School from ESA, Lebanon.
Fatih Karademir
BCI Turkiye
Holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Gazi University, Türkiye
Deniz Topuz
Business Development PU Systems Türkiye, EE and CA
Holds an M.Sc. in Polymer Science and Technology from Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye.
Badih Hokayem
BCI Nigeria
Holds a BS in Agricultural Engineering from USEK, Lebanon; and a minor in environmental resource management from Brandenburg University of Technology, Germany.
Asaad Imad
Iraq
Holds a BS in in Business Computing from NDU, Lebanon and an EMBA from LAU, Lebanon.
Ahmad Bayan
& Chief of Staff
Holds a BA in Business and Knowledge Management from Multimedia University, Malaysia and an MBA from INSEAD, France.
Rula Jubayli
Business Development
& Key Accounts
Holds a BS in Marketing and Management from LAU, Lebanon.
Abdallah Makhoul
Human Resources
Holds a BA in Human Resources from Sydney University, Australia. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at AIF
Ohans Iskanian
Engineering & CAPEX
Holds a M.Sc. in industrial Electronics, from National Polytechnic University, Armenia.
Antonio Mainolfi
Technical Operations
BCI Europe
Holds a Diploma in Chemistry, Materials Science, and Biotechnology from Istituto Tecnico Industriale Varese, Italy.
Ronnie Arjona
R&D
Holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, Philippines.
Bachir Frem
Procurement
Holds an MBA from Sagesse University, Lebanon. Attended Exec. Ed. courses at AIF
Karim Shalaby
Business Planning & Control
Holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance from Cairo University, Egypt, and an MBA from AUC.
Hadi Najjar
Central Finance & Treasury
Holds a BSc in Banking and Finance from the Lebanese University, Lebanon.
Isabelle Mansour
Sustainability, Marketing & Communications
Holds a BBA from JCU, Italy and an Executive Diploma from IMD, Switzerland.
Ihsan O. Baalbaki
Dr. Baalbaki steered the Group toward sustained prosperity while withstanding multiple nationalizations, currency devaluations, and revolutions. A strong advocate for industrial employment and inclusive finance, he developed one of the Levant’s largest private industrial zones, participated in launching one of Lebanon’s first investment banks, and was a founding shareholder of Syria’s first privately owned commercial bank.
Dr. Baalbaki holds a PhD and an MA in Economic Development from Stanford University and a BA in Economics from AUB. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Export Development and the Norwegian Export Council Award from the Kingdom of Norway.
Zuhair I. Baalbaki
He played a key role in rebuilding the Group’s operations in Syria between 1986 and 2011 and earlier led its expansion into the HVAC sector.
Zuhair is deeply engaged in the Ihsan Baalbaki Charitable Foundation and was recognized when Forbes Magazine ranked the Group among the “Top 50 Groups in the Arab World Making a Positive Impact” in 2012.
He holds an MBA and BBA from the American University of Beirut and completed the Harvard Business School OPM Program. He also attended executive education programs at Harvard, INSEAD, and the Amsterdam Institute of Finance.
José Luis Müller
From 2005 to 2018, he held senior leadership roles at Synthesia and Morchem, overseeing global growth, operational excellence, and establishing subsidiaries in the US, UAE, China, and India.
From 2018 to 2024, as CEO of GRIT, he expanded market presence and executed a private-equity-led transition. José Luis holds a Chemical Engineering degree from IQS Barcelona and an MBA from ESADE.
Uwe Hartwig
Between 2001 and 2013, he served as Group VP and later Senior VP, leading global marketing and strategic development for BASF Polyurethanes and serving on its Executive Board.
From 2013 to 2019, Uwe held SVP roles in global marketing and strategic marketing & research for BASF Care Chemicals. Since2019, he has been a consultant with Boston Consulting Group. Dr. Hartwig holds a PhD in Chemistry from Heidelberg University and also studied Philosophy.
Regional Footprint
BCI Holding has established a strong global presence, with facilities strategically located across multiple regions. Operations in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Nigeria serve as key export hubs, helping optimize logistics costs and tariffs, while upgrades at the Varese plant support growing demand for more environmentally responsible insulation solutions in line with post-COP climate commitments
Manufacturing Facilities
Technical Service and Distribution Centers
Nigeria
In Africa’s largest economy, BCI Nigeria provides local distribution and dedicated technical support for polyurethane solutions, ensuring proximity, responsiveness, and continuity of supply. This local presence allows customers to benefit from shorter lead times and hands-on technical assistance aligned with BCI’s global standards.
Jordan
The Jordan facility serves as a vital hub for polyurethane distribution and technical support, bringing BCI’s expertise closer to customers across the Levant and neighboring markets. With a local team and application support capabilities on the ground, the site enables responsive service, faster problem-solving, and close collaboration with customers.
Representative Office
Lebanon
Lebanon is home to BCI’s representative office, regional support hub. From Beirut, the Group coordinates technical, operational, and corporate support functions across the Middle East and North Africa, strengthening regional collaboration and reinforcing BCI’s long-term commitment to customer success.
Standards and Certifications
