The new Spark facility is a testament to Emerson’s continued commitment to our customers and stakeholders in Saudi Arabia, and the next natural step as the company gears up for a period of solid growth across the region, Hussein Zein from Emerson tells OGN

For over 60 years since its presence in Saudi Arabia, Emerson, a global technology powerhouse driving innovation, has remained committed to the Kingdom’s manufacturing growth journey.

After several manufacturing facilities, the company is adding another key investment to the portfolio, this time at the King Salman Energy Park (Spark), a 50-sq-km energy city megaproject aimed to position Saudi Arabia as a global energy, industrial and technology hub.

Emerson’s software and automation technology portfolio is at the centre of innovation and disruption in all areas where automation is deployed, from process and hybrid industries to discrete industries.

The company’s automation solutions portfolio enables it to collaborate across its automation businesses to develop more complete solutions for customers based upon its deep industry experience, and further leverage its global presence, domain expertise and industrial software to help industries achieve key sustainability and operational goals.

'We drive innovation that makes the world healthier, safer, smarter, and more sustainable,' Hussein Zein – Vice President, Emerson Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, tells OGN.

Over the past few decades, Emerson has become one of the largest industrial companies by manufacturing footprint in the Middle East and Africa region.

The company’s manufacturing capabilities in the region cover Emerson’s entire technology portfolio from control and safety systems to measurement instrumentation, to flow control valves and instrument valves.

AN ECOSYSTEM THAT SUPPORTS LOCALISATION

Visitors can experience real-world simulations at the Collaboration Center in Dhahran Techno Valley

Zein says: 'Through the Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s visionary leadership introduced a strategic framework to promote local content and improve localisation.

He adds: 'The initiatives embedded in the national vision roadmap are designed to reduce the country's dependence on imports and support the development of domestic capabilities in various sectors, including manufacturing, technology, and services.'

As such Emerson’s presence in Saudi Arabia is closely aligned to these goals and is focused on localisation, or ‘Made in KSA’, for the Saudi Market.

EMERSON SAUDI ARABIA JOURNEY

Emerson’s journey in the Kingdom began in the 1960s through a distribution presence and channel partners. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength to enhance its footprint and presence based on the needs of customers in Saudi Arabia.

In 2011, Emerson made its first investments into local manufacturing capabilities when it launched Emerson’s Jubail manufacturing and service footprint for the company’s control systems, measurement solutions and control valves businesses.

'Within three years (in 2014) – we enhanced the capabilities of the Jubail footprint to support the production, testing and service of pressure reducing regulators,' Zein says.

Between 2016 and 2018, Emerson expanded its in-Kingdom manufacturing capabilities to include industrial panels and enclosures (in 2016), and then with a purpose-built facility in Dammam (2017) that provides engineering, systems staging, commissioning and operational support for Emerson’s control and safety systems business. And in 2018, Emerson inaugurated its Saudi Arabia headquarters in Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV).

This facility has critical functions that support Emerson’s Saudi Arabia business and hosts a collaboration centre that brings together stakeholders from industry, academia, and technology to research and co-develop solutions for critical operational challenges that the industry faces today.

Emerson’s most recent capacity expansions have been in 2022 with Emerson’s measurement solutions business and discrete and industrial business that have expanded in the Dammam industrial area with purpose-built facilities to manufacture measurement instrumentation and instrument valves.

Today, Emerson Saudi Arabia’s combined footprint spread across five facilities — in Dhahran Techno Valley, Dammam 1st Industrial City, Dammam 2nd Industrial City and Jubail — to manufacture and supply control systems cabinets, control valves, measurement instruments, and instrument valves.

In addition, Emerson has developed highly qualified local service organisation to support its customers across the Kingdom.

Emerson strives for local manufacturing excellence

Over the years, Emerson has enhanced its utilisation of local supply chain through rigorous processes of qualification, knowledge transfer, prototyping and testing, to ensure its Saudi Arabia facilities are sustainable and self-sufficient.

An example is pressure retained castings for its control valves, which are enabling the manufacturing of control valves 100 per cent within the kingdom.

Similarly, in its control systems business, Emerson has worked with Saudi-based fabricators to localise the fabrication of critical enclosures and control systems cabinets.

This period also marked Emerson’s evolution from a supplier of automation technology to a strategic knowledge-sharing and technology partner for key customers in Saudi Arabia, including Saudi Aramco, SABIC, SWCC and Ma’aden.

'We work hand in hand with stakeholders to progress broad-based initiatives and operational goals around digitalisation and technology adoption, reliability and operational excellence and sustainability and decarbonisation,' says Zein.

These collaborative steps also helped shape Emerson’s footprint and capabilities to better align with Emerson’s customer’s strategic goals.

FUTURE INVESTMENTS

This month, Emerson embarks on one of the most significant investments in the Middle East and Africa region. The company will break ground at King Salman Energy Park (Spark) in January 2023 for a state-of-the-art manufacturing hub that will further expand Emerson’s local capabilities.

The facility is designed based on environmental sustainability principles to support Emerson’s zero emission goals.

This will further compliment Spark’s commitment of achieving environmental sustainability goals.

'This new facility is a testament to Emerson’s continued commitment to Emerson’s customers and stakeholders in Saudi Arabia, and the next natural step as we gear up for a period of solid growth across Saudi Arabia and the rest of Middle East and Africa,' Zein concludes.