The company, a leader in instrumentation and process automation, has a modern, state-of-the-art calibration and training centre in the industrial city of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, thus strengthening direct contact with customers in the Middle East

Endress+Hauser, a leader in instrumentation and process automation, has invested roughly three million euros ($3.38 million) in a modern, state-of-the-art calibration and training centre in the Industrial City of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, thus strengthening direct contact with customers in the Middle East while supporting the country’s economic development.

 "It is our long-term mission to serve our customers, to provide services and solutions they require and grow with our customers. Being here In Jubail 1 and 2 there is plenty of opportunity for us to grow and this centre is part of our growth initiative in Saudi Arabia," Matthias Altendorf, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group told OGN after the inauguration.

Saudi Arabia wants to expand the private business sector and become less reliant on oil production, two key goals of the Vision 2030 programme. "It was this vision that inspired us to create the new calibration and training centre," said Mohammed Abdellah, Managing Director of Endress+Hauser Saudi Arabia.

"With this new centre, we are supporting the country to achieve these reforms and can also increase the local added value by offering local solutions," he added.

The 2,700-square-metre facility houses a modern calibration centre, the only vendor-managed gravimetric calibration facility in the region, from which Endress+Hauser will offer manufacturer-independent calibration services for measuring instruments.

Endress+Hauser also offers reliable on-site calibration, leading to cost savings and a reduction in turn around time. "For us, it’s important to be able to address our customers’ needs in a flexible manner and to ensure that they are optimally managed," said Altendorf.

This was what the market needed. "The state-of-the-art calibration and training centre will cater to the regional market needs and requirements.’’ he said.

Previously, devices were sent abroad out of the country for calibration, which used take up a lot of logistical time, almost up to six weeks. But now, the new calibration centre will add value to the calibration process as it is in Jubail, within the proximity of the petrochemical industry hub, he said.

It is a highly automated calibration rig. It can help our customers to ensure that the total life of a product is extended using state-of-the-art calibration methods, explained Altendorf. "We can also calibrate devices that are not manufactured by Endress+Hauser," he said.

The training centre features a classroom with interactive technology, an extensively equipped workshop and a field bus training lab. It offers practical, hands-on training programmes designed to impart knowledge on measurement technologies and process control systems that are in demand by the hydrocarbon, power and water and wastewater industries. Young Saudi engineers and university graduates will be able to use the facility to acquire technical know-how in accordance with the latest international standards. Local technical resources can enhance their knowledge and stay competitive with the customized trainings offered in the centre.

The Endress+Hauser team in front of the new centre

"For the prototype training rig, we are expecting 300 -400 people to get trained every year," said Abdellah.

Altendorf added, Industry 4.0 is the main pillar where operational technology grows together with IT. All of the company’s field products will get an IP address over time. "Mean-while we have Ethernet IP and Bluetooth and wireless LAN in our newest product devices. More technology will come to the region with the new process analysers, where we have spectrometers for measuring moisture and sulphur in parts per million and billion inside the gas business and we also have the Raman spectrometer which can determine the different ingredients of chemicals and oil and gas complex parts. They have been released and will soon come to the region," he said.

Other new products include the new self-calibrating temperature probe which was released last year and the Coriolis mass flow meter with the highest accuracy and efficient performance to measure air content and density, he said.

"Every year we bring out 50 new products, options and features to the market," he pointed out.

Referring to the changes in the Saudi market, Abdellah said the changes are positive focusing more on the downstream industry, which opens a new spectrum for the company in terms of solutions and services provided.

The new calibration and training centre is part of the group’s expansion strategy. Globally active, Endress+Hauser is continuously expanding its international footprint.

For almost two decades Endress+Hauser was represented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by a local representative, Anasia Industrial Agencies. To optimize customer support in the region, Endress+Hauser entered into a joint venture with Anasia in 2012, enabling the Group to be directly present and close to the customers in the region. Endress+Hauser Saudi Arabia currently has 50 employees. The goal of the new investment is to strengthen the Group’s presence in the important Saudi Arabian market, as well as across the entire Middle East.

Endress+Hauser is a global leader in measurement instrumentation, services and solutions for industrial process engineering. The Group employs more than 13,000 personnel across the globe, generating net sales of over 2.2 billion euros in 2017.

Structure: With dedicated sales centres and a strong network of partners, Endress+Hauser guarantees competent worldwide support. Our production centres in 12 countries meet customers’ needs and requirements quickly and effectively. The Group is managed and coordinated by a holding company in Reinach, Switzerland. As a successful family-owned business, Endress+Hauser is set for continued independence and self-reliance.

Products: Endress+Hauser provides sensors, instruments, systems and services for level, flow, pressure and temperature measurement as well as analytics and data acquisition. The company supports customers with automation engineering, logistics and IT services and solutions. Our products set standards in quality and technology.

Industries: The company works closely with the chemical, petrochemical, food and beverage, oil and gas, water and wastewater, power and energy, life science, primaries and metal, renewable energies, pulp and paper and shipbuilding industries. Endress+Hauser supports its customers in optimising their processes in terms of reliability, safety, economic efficiency and environmental impact.

History: Founded in 1953 by Georg H Endress and Ludwig Hauser, Endress+Hauser has been solely owned by the Endress family since 1975. The Group has developed from a specialist in level measurement to a provider of complete solutions for industrial measuring technology and automation, with constant expansion into new territories and markets.