New facilities that will bring in new knowledge and technology in the field of air compressors for industrial use, as well as provide job opportunities to young Saudi engineers, have been opened here in Jubail Industrial City. The new facilities will support industries in the Kingdom, particularly those located in industrial areas like Jubail Industrial City, where the Jubail 2 Industrial City is nearing completion, and provide training in the field of compressor technology. The hubs of these new facilities are the FS-Elliott Saudi Arabia and FS-Elliott Services Saudi Arabia, which are joint ventures between Gas Arabian Services Company Ltd. and FS-Elliott Company of USA, a world leader for centrifugal compressors manufacturing and servicing. The establishment of these facilities in Kingdom was encouraged by the economic, financial, and legal reforms which are making Saudi Arabia an increasingly attractive location for investors, said Paul Brown, CEO of FS-Elliott Company USA, in a speech he delivered during the inauguration of the facilities. “Despite the recent economic difficulties, we see that Saudi Arabia has a bright future as a manufacturing leader within the GCC, and the Kingdom's plans to continue investing in facilities to service both the energy and the general industrial markets of the world will be strong attraction for investors to locate their technology in this country,” Brown said. Abdulrahman K. Al Dabal, president and CEO of Gas Arabian Services, who played host during the inauguration last April 13, 2010 underscored the need of such facilities in support local industries, particularly the oil and the gas sectors. “The new facilities have production, training, service support, new technology upgrades departments, and compressor packaging section that will produce air compressors for industrial use,” Al Dabal said. Trained staffs, including compressor service engineers and technicians, will provide the management and marketing expertise for the facilities, according to Al Dabal. Training for Saudi engineers and customers' personnel will include maintenance, operation, repair services, rotor balancing, overhaul, upgrades and long-term maintenance programs. The inauguration was attended by Dr. Katapadi Dinaraka Kini, FS-Elliotte Saudi Arabia director and CICB Chemicon CEO; Mazyad Al-Khaldi, president of Ibn Sina Petrochemical Company, Harith M. Al-Qurtass, general manager of Tasnee Petrochemical Complex; Consul General Joseph Kenny of the American Consulate in Dhahran; and Dr. Mosleh Bin Hamid Al-Otaibi, CEO-Royal Commission. Also present were Faisal Al Dabal and Aref Al Dabal, senior vice president and vice president, respectively, of Gas Arabian Services.
