A polymer factory has started operating at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) adjacent to the Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

Zayani Polymer Factory will produce 5,000 tonnes annually of polypropylene woven sacks and polyethylene greenhouse sheets. The company is a subsidiary of JA Zayani & Sons Group, producers of foam and polystyrene products for the packaging, agricultural and construction industries. The group has two other manufacturing operations in Sitra and they have been operating over the past 27 years.

The new factory at BIIP has been constructed and equipped with the latest in European technology, machinery and technical support and the company’s facilities include a Research and Development laboratory.

The factory recycles everything with no waste or harmful emissions and raw materials are sourced in the GCC, mainly in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Total investment at the factory is $11 million and the company currently employs 70 people with the figure expanding to 100 at full production. Thirty per cent of the staff will then be Bahrainis.

Minister for Industry and Commerce Dr Hassan Fakhro, who officiated at the opening, congratulated the Zayani family, Jasim Abdulrahman, Mohammad Jasim and Nael Jassim on their new facility.

This opening of Zayani Polymer brings to 28 the number of projects operating at the BIIP. A further 23 projects are currently under construction with 20 more in the pre-construction stage. These 71 projects have a total investment of BD484 million ($1.28 billion) and will lead to the creation of more than 8,000 jobs.