Two new manufacturing facilities at a total cost of more than $9 million officially opened at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP).

Bahrain Industrial Filters and Gulf Temperature Sensors at Salman Industrial City, Hidd, each spreading over an area of 1,600 sq m, were opened by Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro.

The opening included a ceremony and a tour of the facilities, led by Al Fanar Investment Holding chairman Abdulnabi Al Sho'ala.

The Bahrain Industrial Filters is an investment of more than $5m and has created 40 new jobs, said Dr Fakhro at the opening ceremony.

The company manufacture fabric filters, which involves the use of both woven and non-woven fabrics, cotton, fibreglass, Teflon and polymeric micro porous coated media.

The products are used in aluminium, cement, food processing, petrochemicals, refineries and plastic industries, and the markets will be both domestic and regional.

"Gulf Temperature Sensors is an investment of $4m and has created 32 new jobs in its factory," said Dr Fakhro.

The company manufactures a range of thermocouple temperature sensors, resistance detector sensors, temperature measuring instruments, plug socket connectors, extension cables and sensor outer protection sheaths in metal, ceramic and other refractory materials primarily for the aluminium, plastics, aerospace, steel, glass, petrochemicals, medical, food, desalination and power plants industries.

Dr Fakhro said that the company is the only manufacturer of thermocouples and temperature sensors in the GCC and one of very few companies undertaking this activity in the Middle East.

"The two plants here manufacture completely different products, but largely target the same industries and markets," said Dr Fakhro.

"I think it is very fitting, that the owners have chosen to locate their manufacturing plants at the BIIP, which will provide the infrastructure and logistics which they require for their operations, and is a world-class infrastructure component in its own right."

Dr Fakhro said Bahrain welcomed all legitimate companies to establish their operations in the kingdom to access the markets of the region.

He said in addition to developing infrastructure elements such as the BIIP, the ministry continued to work on enhancing the legal and administrative infrastructure to make Bahrain the most investor and business -friendly market in the Middle East.

"We have already come so far in achieving this aspiration," said the minister.

"But since business is continuously evolving, our legal infrastructure must be characterised with chameleon-type qualities to enable it to change quickly with the market demands and to ensure that the laws and regulations support legitimate business, providing an enabling environment, and at the same time maintaining an appropriate level of protection for all stakeholders," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Fakhro said the ministry was in the process of conducting a feasibility study for the creation of an industrial city that would meet the needs of Bahrain for the next 30 years.

"It will be a sort of a super, grand, economic, industrial city. It is an initiative of His Majesty King Hamad and should cater for the economic and industrial needs of Bahrain for decades," Dr Fakhro said.

ITSS managing director Redha Najjar explained that Gulf Temperature Sensors Company was established in Riffa, in 2001. It is owned by ITSS and CCPI, the US and CCPI Europe, the UK.

It exports to the Gulf region, in addition to the US, the UK and Holland.

It plans to enter phase three in the coming two to three years where it will provide collaboration services at an investment cost of at least GBP150,000 ($239,295).

Najjar said that Bahrain Industrial Filters is owned by ITSS and was formed in 2000 and located in Riffa.

"We produce 150,000 filters (per year) and supply to most of the heavy and light industry, aluminium, cement and petrochemicals and so on," Najjar said.

"Sixty per cent of our products are exported to the GCC and we are hoping to expand worldwide also. We are thinking of going to phase two by the end of this year, it will be a filtration system for aluminium metal. The demand is increasing, we have to expand to 300,000 filters by end of the year," he added.

"Our major customers in the region are Alba, Aluminium Dubai and Sohar Aluminium," he said.

"We have a terms contract with Alba for five years and are in the process of securing another five years," he added. - TradeArabia News Service