PIC: industry on the ground
EQUATE was established in 1995 as a joint venture of PIC, Dow, Boubyan Petrochemical and Qurain Petrochemical, started production in 1997, and makes over 5 million tonnes of petrochemicals a year.
Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) is a Kuwait Petroleum Corporation subsidiary producing polymers, aromatics and fertilisers, with more than 60 years of experience and seven joint ventures according to its website. PIC is a Kuwait Petroleum Corporation subsidiary, and supplier guides note that KPC companies keep separate vendor databases, so registration with PIC is handled by PIC rather than by a group-wide list. Buyers searching for an ATEX and IECEx mobile phone supplier for PIC can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An ATEX and IECEx mobile phone for PIC cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. 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 | PIC: Petrochemical process units, Polymer and aromatics plants, Fertiliser plants | 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.
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
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.
EQUATE was established in 1995 as a joint venture of PIC, Dow, Boubyan Petrochemical and Qurain Petrochemical, started production in 1997, and makes over 5 million tonnes of petrochemicals a year.
Petrochemical Industries Company was established in 1963 and is a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. In 1974 it took over salt and chlorine plants from the Ministry of Electricity and Water.
EQUATE is the single operator at Shuaiba of three plants: Kuwait Paraxylene Production Company, The Kuwait Styrene Company and The Kuwait Olefins Company, all run under one operating umbrella.
In 2026 PIC acquired a 25 per cent stake in Wanhua Petrochemical Group's assets in Yantai, China, creating Wanhua-PIC Petrochemicals, so it now has overseas sites as well as its Kuwait ones.
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 PIC. A Petrochemical Industries Company reviewer would expect certificate evidence before a handheld enters polymer, aromatics or fertiliser plants. With joint ventures and international contractors involved, a dual ATEX and IECEx route lets one product answer both families of paperwork. The IS-04Z1 is in certification and no certificate has been issued.
Supply of the IS-04Z1 to PIC starts only after certification, through authorised distributors. Until then a buyer can request the datasheet and the written certification schedule, and arrange a safe-area evaluation unit, which puts the site on the list for the right local channel at launch.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
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.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
No. EQUATE is a joint venture in which PIC is a shareholder, and it operates the paraxylene, styrene and olefins plants at Shuaiba as one operating company. Contractor induction, permits and equipment rules are therefore normally set by the plant operator concerned, so confirm which company controls the unit you will visit.
Operators in Kuwait generally ask for recognised international certification such as IECEx or ATEX, but PIC and its joint ventures decide what they accept. Ask the site HSE or instrumentation team which certificates, gas group and temperature class they require before ordering equipment for a classified area.
Possibly. Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself, and a joint venture may have its own procurement and HSE rules. Ask each operating company which evidence it needs. The IS-04Z1 has no certificate yet, so share only the datasheet and target marking.
More on PIC, and on other places in Kuwait.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.