Saudi Aramco Executive Director Material Supply Nabeel Mansour, Rami Qasem, President and CEO GE Oil & Gas MENAT and Lorenzo Simonelli, President & CEO, GE Oil & Gas, during the ground-breaking ceremony of a new oil and gas manufacturing unit at Dammam Industrial City II in Dammam on Sunday. A ground-breaking ceremony of the new GE oil & gas manufacturing facility at Dammam Industrial City II was held on Sunday as part of GE's $1 billion investment commitment in the Kingdom, and following the signing of an agreement with the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) last year. The ceremony was held in the presence of Lorenzo Simonelli, President & CEO, GE Oil & Gas; Rami Qasem, President & CEO, GE Oil & Gas MENAT; and Nabeel Al-Mansour, Executive Director of Material Supply of Saudi Aramco. The facility is part of the expansion of manufacturing capabilities of the GE Manufacturing Technology Center in Dammam. The Center will now feature the manufacturing of GE's most advanced, largest, high efficiency gas turbines, bringing with it new engineering jobs and more opportunities for local suppliers. The first phase of the new facility will be the construction of a 9,500 sqm building, scheduled for completion in December this year. The focus will be on expanding the manufacturing capability and operations of the nearby existing Pressure Control facility which is certified to API and ISO quality management system. The expansion is intended to create over 100 new career opportunities for skilled Saudi engineers and accelerate customer deliveries on key equipment such as wellheads and valves for the upstream oil and gas sector. Nabeel Al-Mansour, Executive Director of Material Supply of Saudi Aramco, said: “"The event we celebrate today aligns with the national vision, our corporate direction, and our supply chain aspirations, to maximize the value generated for, and by, the local economy. And it demonstrates GE's ongoing and active commitment to Saudi Arabia. GE's embracing of the strategic direction outlined by the Saudi Vision 2020.” Rami Qasem, President and CEO, GE Oil & Gas, Middle East, North Africa and Turkey said: “In the past two years, GE has made significant investments to build a culture of localized manufacturing. We listen to our customers, understand their needs and tailor solutions that meet their requirements." GE Oil & Gas is also working with local suppliers, as part of its partnership with Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Center (Wa'ed) to engage local SMEs in the domestic manufacturing and service sector. The goal is to enable local vendors to provide components needed for the manufacturing of wellheads. — SG
