Al Jizzi Transformers & Switchgears Company LLC (AJTS), an ISO 9002 company floated four years ago, has received encouraging signs it can grow into a larger, more distinguished organisation than it now is.
The company, a member of the prominent Oman Holdings International (OHI) Group, manufactures distribution transformers in various ranges with current
production around 1,200 pieces per year. The production facilities are at Maa'bela, in the Muscat area, and the technical collaborator is Kotsons of India, which has considerable experience in the making of transformers and has been exporting in a big way. AJTS is also engaged in the repair and maintenance of transformers and has the facilities to undertake onsite or factory repairs. The company has test produced a prototype transformer for use in oil installations and is in talks with international oil companies.
General manager Shekhar Sinha said the fastest-selling items were transformer ratings of 1000KVA and 500KVA with sizable
orders having been received
from Oman's Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment and the Ministry of Defence as well as private entrepreneurs. The company expects this year's production to be 50 per cent more than in 2000. By the end of 2002, it expects to double output. The company hopes to produce a minimum of 3,000 pieces per year before long. Also in the plans is the manufacture of power transformers up to 20MVA. Recently AJTS bagged a significant order from the Syrian government for 1,300 distribution transformers, a thousand of which were of 50KVA and the rest 1000KVA. Sinha says he is also expecting business from other Arab states, notably Yemen, Jordan and Bahrain.
"As the company grows, we will need to upgrade transformers from lower rating to higher rating," said Sinha. AJTS procures its raw materials from Europe, the Gulf states and India. The company is looking closely at markets nearer home in the Gulf region and is in the process of establishing a distributor network. The Omani market alone is growing by 8 to 9 per cent annually with Gulf demand also growing which has neccessitated a factory expansion, said Sinha. The expansion will also include facilities to manufacture power transformers of up to 20MVA. Currently power transformers are imported into Oman from the UAE and other countries.
The company is keen that its product range includes transformers that can be used in the lucrative oilfields sector. "Our team of designers has successfully tested a prototype for that purpose. We are negotiating with oilfield companies like Centrilift and ESP International for contracts," said Sinha who sees a vast potential in the oil rich states of the Middle East. "We expect to supply 300 to 500 transformers of this kind per year in Oman alone. Demand will increase with new oil finds and increases in crude oil production." Glowing from a sense of expectation, Sinha says he had one company representative telling him: "If the price is right, we can purchase your product for any site in the world, from Yemen to Venezuela."
