Oman Ceramics Company's new sanitary ware unit in Sohar Industrial Estate has started commercial production. The RO6.5 million plant ($16.88 million), with a capacity of 375,000 pieces per year, has reached a buy-back agreement for 50 per cent of its production with Adminex of the UK, which holds 10 per cent stake in the joint venture.
Oman Chlorine strides ahead
With the launch of commercial production by Oman Chlorine, import of hydrochloric acid and caustic soda from other markets into Sultanate has stopped, says a report. The company is also exporting to the markets which used to be traditional exporters to Oman, managing director Walid Azhari said. The unit has the capacity to produce 41,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of hydrochloric acid, 31,000 tpy of caustic soda and 2,400 tpy of sodium hypochlorite.
Packaging boost
The Ajay Group has bought a controlling 63 per cent stake in Packaging Company which is embarking on a major RO2 million ($5.2 million) expansion to augment its capacity for corrugated cartons by three to four times. The company, which currently has a production capacity of 9,000 tonnes per year, produced 7,000 tonnes last year.
Best Five award
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has invited applications from factories wishing to be considered for His Majesty's 2000 Cup for the Best Five Industries in the Sultanate. The applications have to submitted before August 30, a ministry announcement said.
Geology conference date set
An international conference on geology will be held between January 12 and 16 next year at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat. About 500 academics and officials from the premier mining companies of Britain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and the US are expected to participate in the event, being organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Research centre to come up
and Japan have signed a deal to set up a $6 million research centre to improve fish quality for exports. The agreement involves building laboratories, a quality control centre and facilities for marketing training.
Detergent firm in capital boost
Al-Ahlia Detergent Company (ADC) of Oman, the second largest detergent manufacturer in the Sultanate, is to augment its paid up capital from RO900,000 ($2.36 million) to RO1.5 million a private placement.
Bid to revive Majan Glass
Oman Development Bank (ODB) and National Bank of Oman (NBO) have proposed converting a portion of the term loan given to ailing Majan Glass into equity. The company has taken term loans amounting to RO3 million and RO1.2 million from NBO and ODB, respectively, while the government has given another RO3 million soft loan, said Majan Glass general manager M P Kamath.
