Riyadh-based Abunayyan Holding and Toray Industries, headquartered in Tokyo, have launched a joint venture in water and wasterwater treatment technologies in Dammam, said a report.

The Toray Membrane Middle East (TMME) was established with a projected investment of over SR300 million ($80 million) with investments from Toray’s subsidiary Toray Membrane Europe, which will manufacture and sell water treatment membranes in addition to providing technical services, said the Arab News report.

TMME plans to construct a production factory by applying Toray’s production technology and global quality control standards in Damman and is expected to begin production of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements beginning in 2015, it said.

The facility is Toray’s fourth manufacturing base for the RO membrane elements, besides its current operational bases in Japan, California and Beijing.