GE has opened in Bahrain a unit to assemble control cabinets for export to Middle East markets. It was opened along with a new Bahrain office and a Customer Application Centre (CAC) that features optimisation and control technology.

GE said its new facility would enable 70 control cabinets to be assembled at a time. It replaces a smaller one in Sitra, Bahrain, where 180 panels were assembled last year. “The control cabinets will be used in power plants and oil and gas industries for measuring steam and gas turbines and generators, enabling optimisation of equipment in terms of efficiency, safety and reliability,” a GE official said.
The facility is similar to ones established by GE in Florence (Italy), Singapore, Shanghai (China), Houston (US) and Moscow (Russia).
 
The CAC
Giving details of the Customer Application Centre, the company said it included product demonstration and training areas where educational programmes, conferences, product training and hands-on operational experience would be offered to customers in addition to systems testing.
“The CAC provides customers with an up-close opportunity to interact with the technologies in GE’s optimisation and control portfolio including GE’s Bently Nevada Asset Conditioning Monitoring products, its Mark Vle machinery controls, plant DCS, excitation controls Ex2100 and drilling measurement and Sondex wireline products,” it said.
“The office and technology facilities will enable faster response to meet the needs of GE’s regional municipal utility and industrial customers …
“The office will enable GE to more effectively expand its power, water, oil and gas, aviation and enterprise solutions businesses while creating job opportunities for the Bahraini population.”
The new office and technology facilities will accommodate more than 100 employees including engineering and service specialists.

Ongoing graduate progamme
GE has in Bahrain an ongoing graduate management programme for engineering students.
The company’s role in Bahrain includes servicing rotating machinery, providing energy optimisation and control solutions as well as security solutions and a partnership with Gulf Air to provide engines and machines for Airbus 320s.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, opened the office and technology facilities.
“GE’s new facility in the Kingdom of Bahrain demonstrates GE’s long-tern commitment to investing in the region to support the Middle East’s economic and infrastructure development,” said Nabil Habayeb, president and CEO, GE Middle East and Africa. “The new facility also reflects our localisation and knowledge-sharing strategy, expanding opportunities for local employment and training in high-tech engineering positions for the new generation of Bahrainis.”