EQUATE is a Kuwaiti petrochemical producer established in 1995, with its complex at Shuaiba, Al Ahmadi Governorate. Owners are Petrochemical Industries Company (42.5%), Dow (42.5%), Boubyan Petrochemical (9%) and Al Qurain Petrochemical Industries (6%). This page explains what to look for in an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for EQUATE, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for EQUATE: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Marking | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 on the rating plate | Design target; not yet marked |
| EU-type examination certificate | Notified body number and certificate ID | In progress with TÜV; not issued |
| IECEx certificate of conformity | Number listed on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | EQUATE: Ethylene and propylene units, Polyethylene plants, Ethane and naphtha feedstock handling | Classified by the site operator |
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kuwait. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
The group makes over 6 million tonnes a year of ethylene, ethylene glycol, polyethylene, PET, styrene monomer, paraxylene, heavy aromatics and benzene, so liquids such as benzene and styrene are handled alongside gases and polymer.
Products are marketed across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, so bulk export loading by sea is a regular activity.
Greater EQUATE brings EQUATE, the Kuwait Styrene Company, the Kuwait Paraxylene Production Company and the Kuwait Olefins Company under one integrated operational umbrella, so one site-wide safety system covers several plants.
EQUATE has a sustainability strategy of 16 initiatives aimed at 2025, covering the work environment and operations, so contractors may meet formal environmental and workplace reporting requirements.
ATEX is the European legal framework for equipment used in explosive atmospheres (Directive 2014/34/EU). IECEx is the international certification scheme built on the IEC 60079 standards. Buyers outside Europe often ask for both: an IECEx certificate is the technical evidence most national regimes build on, while ATEX is the legal route into the European market.
For the IS-04Z1 both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and neither certificate has been issued. The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: equipment Group II (surface industry), Category 2 (Zone 1 gas), protection concept ib (intrinsic safety), gas group IIC and temperature class T4.
In EQUATE. An EQUATE procurement or HSE reviewer at the Shuaiba complex would expect certificate evidence before a handheld enters the ethylene, propylene or polyethylene units. With international owners and contractors, a dual ATEX and IECEx route lets one product answer both sets of paperwork. The IS-04Z1 is in certification and no certificate has been issued.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Plant owners normally run their own vendor registration and equipment approval, and EQUATE describes a formal safety and sustainability management approach. Confirm the current supplier-registration steps and device requirements directly with EQUATE's procurement and HSE teams.
The Greater EQUATE group includes olefins, styrene and paraxylene companies as well as the main EQUATE plants, producing ethylene, ethylene glycol, polyethylene, PET, styrene, paraxylene and benzene. That means gas, flammable liquids and polymer powder hazards; confirm zones with the site's area classification documents.
The hazards differ in detail, but the check is the same: compare the zone, gas group and temperature class in EQUATE's drawings with the device marking. Ethylene is IIB, hydrogen IIC. The IS-04Z1 target marking is IIC, but no certificate has been issued, so rely on EQUATE's own assessment.
Other guides for EQUATE, other places in Kuwait, and the pages behind them.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.
