Siemens WLL Bahrain announced plans today to establish a service centre to supply the steel and aluminum industry in the Middle East with the manufacturing, overhaul and repair of mechanical equipment. This service will help the existing mills in the region to optimize spare part storage and to reduce the downtime of their machines for maintenance and repair. The component lifetime can be increased and time consuming import of spare parts from Europe and South Asia will be obsolete.
The centre will employ 40 technicians, at least half of whom will be Bahraini nationals. The announcement was made today by the Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce, His Excellency Dr. Hassan Fakhro.
In welcoming the announcement Dr Fakhro declared how pleased he was that a global company like Siemens had chosen Bahrain and the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) for this new project.
Describing Siemens as one of the true global leaders in manufacturing and development of new technologies, Dr. Fakhro stated that this project was a very important one for Bahrain in that it met several of the its objectives, particularly the provision of new quality skilled jobs for Bahrainis in manufacturing, engineering and services.
Attending the signing ceremony with the Minister was Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, Mr. Jamil Wafa, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Siemens WLL and Marek Szymanek, CEO of Siemens in Bahrain.
“Siemens has a successful history in Bahrain and a presence in the Middle East of over 150 years,” said Marek Szymanek. “The establishment of this service centre is an indicator of both; our confidence in the Bahraini economy and our commitment to playing an active, positive role in the country. The ongoing development of Bahrain and the attractive facilities of the BIOs and Bahrain International Investment Park played a crucial role in our decision to invest here.”
Metallurgical experts, supported by a workforce of 40 technicians, including 20 Bahrainis, will form the operations team at the center and deliver metallurgical services focusing on rolling mills, melt shops and guides services.
“Middle East steel and aluminium companies generally depend on importing spare parts and technical know-how from countries outside the region,” explained Szymanek. “The Siemens service centre will close a gap and help reduce the downtime of machines, which will directly result in operational cost reduction for the companies.”
The facility also expects to offer business and technical trainings for the new employees in cooperation with the National Institute for Industrial Trainings (NIIT). Szymanek concluded that the center is planned to be fully operational by the end of the year.
BIO is located within the BIIP and the Siemens facility will occupy an area of approx. 2,500 m2 in the BIO.
“In line with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, BIO has heavily invested in a world class infrastructure to attract global leaders in the industrial sector,” said Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, Managing Director and CEO of Kuwait Finance House, the owner of BIO. It offers unparalleled locations. The easy access to all sea, air and roads is ideal to quickly serve the growing Middle East steel industry. “
