DHAHRAN: If your perception of pumps is that they are small mechanical devices that push fuel through your car or water up to your roof, then you definitely aren’t familiar with the pumps that move the Kingdom’s economy forward. Industrial pumps are sophisticated pieces of equipment, each worth tens of thousands of riyals. Companies such as Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corp., Saudi Electricity Co. and the Saudi Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) all depend on these flow control products to keep operations running smoothly.
Last week, Flowserve Corporation and Al-Rushaid Group opened the largest pump manufacturing, repair and testing facility in the Middle East. The event was significant because until now, the top of the line industrial pumps purchased by Saudi industries were not maintained locally.
“In the past, the maintenance for the equipment purchased from Flowserve was done some in the United States and Europe,” said Lewis Kling, president and CEO, Flowserve Corporation. “Our new state-of-the-art, robust facility will help us deliver outstanding service to our Middle East customers. Its scope, size and capabilities are unmatched in the region. We think it’s the right thing to do opening such a facility here in the Middle East. The equipment is here. The business is here. The people are here and it’s a great place to do business.”
Abdullah Al-Rushaid, chairman, Al-Rushaid Group agreed.
“This new operation is definitely a commitment from Flowserve and Al-Rushaid to support the equipment that is being sold in Saudi Arabia and the region. This facility is really needed. As you might imagine, a breakdown of flow control equipment might cost just a little in terms of maintenance to the equipment itself. But it can cause severe interruption to the facility where it is installed. That can be very expensive,” he explained. “So the industry here is very excited that a Saudi company and an international company have come together to invest and create this facility right here in the Kingdom. For the first time we will offer skilled maintenance and engineering services locally for the most sophisticated pumps.”
The financing for the new facility was made possible through the support of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF). The facility is already operational and the partners are hoping to rapidly bring it to profitability by offering services to companies in the oil, gas, petrochemical, power, water, desalination and chemical industries. A key component of the facility is the region’s largest, most capable hydraulics test facility, which is authorized to perform certified testing to both American Petroleum Institute (API) and international standards, for both horizontal and vertical pumps. The facility will allow companies to verify equipment performance, or diagnose and correct problems.
“One of the best moves a business can make is to invest where there are opportunities,” said Thomas E. Ferguson, senior vice president, and president pump division, Flowserve. “We’ve had a long-term relationship with Saudi Aramco. It goes back to 1937. So we’ve been putting installed base here for a long time. This new quick response center is here to support that installed base, and also to grow the businesses and our relationship with Saudi Aramco. We just signed a 10-year agreement with Saudi Aramco for supply and this was part of that agreement.”
The Flowserve Al-Rushaid Facility covers 11,500 square meters. It employs more than 100 people. Currently the work force is 40 percent Saudi, but that figure is set to rise to 60 percent within three years. The facility offers full lifecycle management for flow control equipment in order to reduce the total cost of ownership and improve operating efficiency. Engineers at the facility are able to travel to industries around the Kingdom and the region to test pumps in the field as well as install, maintain and service pumps at customer sites. Equipment that requires extensive service or maintenance will be taken to the new state-of-the art center in Dhahran. The Flowserve Al-Rushaid Facility is fully integrated with Flowserve’s other operations around the world. Through the use of video conferencing and other information technologies, the entire experience-base of Flowserve’s engineers can be called upon if any need arises.
Al-Rushaid and Flowserve were delighted to announce that they have decided to immediately begin expanding the facility and will also be building the Middle East’s first hydraulics training center. The training center will occupy 1,500 square meters and will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, along with static and dynamic laboratories. Planned classes include basic hydraulics theory, advanced maintenance, repair and technical services and hands-on training opportunities.
“The relationship between Al-Rushaid and Flowserve goes back 20 years. I joined the company about five years ago and at a luncheon with Abdullah, the first time I met him, we started talking about the idea of setting up this learning center,” Kling remarked. “Right there at the luncheon we shook hands and said. “Let’s make it happen.” We’ve moved forward since then, and today is the result.”
The new hydraulics training center will offer classes targeting a wide spectrum of available manpower, from high school graduates to experienced engineers.
“This is the only facility and training institute of its kind outside the United States,” Al-Rushaid said. “I have been to visit Flowserve’s operations in the United States. I saw the trainees from different countries there, especially from South America, and I fell in love with the idea. Immediately I wanted to duplicate the learning center next to the manufacturing, repair and testing facility we have set up here.”
The resources at the hydraulics training center will be open to any company. It is anticipated that industries from as far away as India and Southeast Asia will send their staff to Dhahran for training. The design of the learning center has already been approved and construction will begin on the site in 90 days. The training center should be operational before the end of the year.
“What we’re going to be offering here is a top of the line training facility, with instructors, learning materials and equipment. In the past, companies in Saudi Arabia would buy equipment and there was no one here trained to operate it. So people had to be brought from abroad to operate these pumps and then train Saudis. We anticipate that this model will change with the opening of this facility,” commented Al-Rushaid. “The new Flowserve Al-Rushaid Facility must be considered in more than simple financial terms. Saudi Arabia is full of money. What we don’t have is the technology. This facility is offering top of the line technology and training in how to use it. This results in a transfer of knowledge to our young people. Such a concept is far more important that the $45 million we have both invested so far.”
