Siemens WLL Bahrain has announced plans to establish a service centre to supply the steel and aluminium industry in the Middle East with the manufacturing, overhaul and repair of mechanical equipment.

“This service will help existing mills in the region to optimise spare parts storage and reduce 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,” a Siemens statement said.

The centre will be established in the Baytik Industrial Oasis (BIO) of Bahrain International Investment Park and employ 40 technicians, at least half of whom will be Bahraini nationals.

Bahrain’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Dr Hassan Fakhro said the project was very important for Bahrain and would meet several of the country’s objectives, particularly the provision of 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, Jamil Wafa, chairman of the advisory board of Siemens WLL, and Marek Szymanek, CEO of Siemens in Bahrain.

Long Middle East presence
“Siemens has a successful history in Bahrain and a presence in the Middle East of over 150 years,” said Szymanek. “The ongoing development of Bahrain and the attractive facilities of the BIO and Bahrain International Investment Park played a crucial role in our decision to invest here.”

The Siemens facility will occupy an area of approximately 2,500 sq m.

“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 road links is ideal to quickly serve the growing Middle East steel industry.”