Saudi Engineers, following site visits and discussions during their Study & Business Mission to Japan for Water and Wastewater Treatment, were impressed by the technical knowhow in the places they visited while also valuing the knowledge of their Japanese counterparts. Mission members were also impressed to know, during an Q&A following a visit to a sludge treatment facility, that Japanese engineers regard sewage sludge as ‘the wealth of resources', in terms of alternative fuel, electricity supply to the facility, and other construction materials. The visit included plants in Osaka and Tokyo in early June. The Saudi mission members, headed by Abdulrahman Jazzar, Abdulrahman A.B.Jazzar for Telecom & IT (Jeddah), joined the water-related business mission. In Osaka, they visited Kubota Corporation's Hirakata Plant (306,084m2) where they are manufacturing Valves, Pumps (Vertical and Horizontal), Steel Casting, Construction Machine. Having a professional presentation on their products' technical advantages and worldwide reference record (KSA, Qatar, UAE and Southeast Asia etc.) of water applications by Kubota's engineers from Pump & Valve business unit, the mission members learned the advanced technology of their products which focused on the effective use of energy. The features of Kubota's RO Pump systems are summarized as total high efficiency, easy maintenance and high reliability, based on their technologies. They also visited Toray Industries' Shiga Plant and had Toray's presentation on their products, RO/UF Membrane and MBR (Membrane Bio-Reactor) with their worldwide supply record. The mission members discussed about their products' technical features and Saudi Arabian water quality. The members also visited Toray Innovation Plaza where they learned Toray's various product lines and their new products including carbon textiles, plastics/chemical, films and materials for IT, pharmaceutical equipment etc. Finally, the mission members visited Toray Research Center (TRC) where Toray engineers and experts are conducting their products' R&D and technical analysis, such as surface analysis, structural analysis, material characterization, organic/inorganic analysis, environmental analysis etc. It was an interesting visit for the mission. In Tokyo, they visited Yokohama's Nishiya Water Purification Plant and Hokubu Sludge Treatment Center. In Nishiya, the mission members experienced to examine water leakage detection, utilizing conventional and mechanical equipment (demonstrated by Yokohama's engineers) which were actually implemented out by Yokohama City's Environmental Planning Bureau. In Hokubu, the mission members learned the advanced technology of sludge treatment systems which focused on the effective use of digestion gas (for electricity and fuel), incinerated ash (for cement material and improved soil), and sludge fuelization from sludge by the leading Japanese municipality. Finally, the mission members joined a session of presentation and BtB meetings with 5 Japanese companies. Prior to the presentation by Japanese companies, Saudi companies' presentations, including Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), SAWEA, Skado GOCSA, Abdulrahman A.B.Jazzar for Telecom & IT, Global Solution for Leak Free, Saudi Bio-Acids Co., BMS Factories, WETICO, AAHD ALTAWEER Trading & Construction, and Kindasa Water Services were presented to the Japanese audience. They briefly explained their business activities and business opportunities in the KSA water sector and foreign partners. Japanese companies also explained their water business experiences and supply records in the Middle East market, particularly in Saudi Arabia and interests on feasibility of business partnership in the Kingdom. In the ceremony of granting the certificate by Okazaki, senior managing director of JCCME, Tokyo, the mission members were granted the certificate of participation in this Study & Business Tour to Japan for Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems 2015. Jazzar, on behalf of the members, thanked JCCME's arrangement of all the visits, BtB meetings, and logistics in Japan, expecting for the further business relations. — SG
