Twenty-eight companies have so far signed leases to set up their ventures at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) in Hidd, a park official has said.

Paddy Gallagher, marketing manager, also said investment from the leases was projected at BD84 million.
“A further 13 leases will be agreed over the next few months with a total investment of BD47 million,” he said.
  While most companies that have signed up are Bahrainis, there are several from other states and regions including the US, Canada, Kuwait, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Lebanon.
As much as 80 per cent of the leases signed are with manufacturing companies, Gallagher stated. Their manufacturing activities will include food processing, electronics, printing and packaging, switchgear, electrical panels, architectural models, fiberglass and household products.
The leases for non-manufacturing activities include industrial training, insurance administration, advanced information systems and software application services.
BIIP is being developed and managed by a private consultancy, International Development Ireland (IDI), a spinoff from the Irish government’s Investment Development Agency.
BIIP is developing a Knowledge Zone at the park to attract GCC headquarter activities, regional sales and marketing activities,  regional back office administration, customer support centres, technical support centres, shared services centres and software development centres.
The zone will consist of a number of high-quality multi-storyed office buildings located in the centre of the park.
  Three companies have already started functioning, namely Global Logistics Services, Matrikon and Halwachi Food Factory.
  Nine companies are expected to be commissioned in 2008. These are Kraft Foods, Abahsain Fiberglass Middle East, Oriental Press, National Institute for Industrial Training, Kuwait Finance House Industrial Oasis, Ramez International, Bader Models, EAG Industries and Hotform Arabia.
Kraft Foods is building a $40 million plant to produce cheese and powdered beverage products with a view to exporting them to the Middle East. Once operational, the plant will employ 250 people.
KFH-Bahrain’s Industrial Oasis will ensure the availability of leased factory and office space for companies that choose not to develop their own facilities.
The total project will involve two phases. The first phase will comprise the development of a four-storey office building of 2,343 sq m,, together with 11 advanced factories with sizes ranging from 3,730.50 sq m to 5,042 sq m. Construction of Phase 1 will commence very shortly.
The infrastructure built by KFH will be leased to potential tenants from local and international manufacturing or service-oriented companies. All marketing-related functions with regards to the KFH buildings will be carried out in conjunction with the BIIP management.
Halwachi is a long established local snack food manufacturing company. The proposal is to move the current corn curl snack line to a new facility and to introduce a potato chip line. Currently the company exports 80 per cent of production and this diversification into potato crisps is also export-driven and will require the importation of 4 tonnes of potatoes a day from Holland. 
Global Logistical Services (GLS), which currently develops and operates bonded warehouses at Bahrain Airport, has teamed up with Infofort Middle East, the longest established records management company in the Middle East to develop an outsourced data management service for banks and other financial companies, and for government departments.
Canada-based Matrikon is a leading provider of integrated industrial intelligence products for the continuous process enterprise. It offers a complete suite of products that spans planning, tracking, monitoring, reporting and optimisation for operations enterprise, from plant assets to people to processes.
Saudi company Saleh and Abdulaziz Abahsain Co Ltd’s fibreglass-manufacturing factory at the BIIP will have a capacity of 40,000 to 60,000 tonnes per year.
BIIP is targeting services and knowledge-based activities, high-tech manufacturing, light and medium manufacturing and process industries.