Emerson Process Management, a business of Emerson, broke ground on the site for its new technology development, customer training, and project support facility in Dhahran Techno Valley last month.

The 11,370 sq m facility will provide services and support to the oil and gas, mining and other process industries across the kingdom, equipped with resources and capabilities to develop automation solutions, deliver lifecycle services, and train local talent. It will house offices, training facilities, a service and light manufacturing workshop, and laboratories focused on control systems, flow metering technologies, and research and development. The facility is scheduled for completion in May 2017.

“Emerson is recognised for innovation and continues to lead by investing in engineering and technology development,” said Dr Halim H Redhwi, chief executive officer of Dhahran Techno Valley. “The new centre in Dhahran Techno Valley will help shape the next generation of Saudi talent and bring economic returns for the kingdom, especially in the petroleum and minerals sector.”

Dave Tredinnick, president of Emerson Process Management Middle East and Africa, remarked: “The Emerson Dhahran Techno Valley facility is a testament to the critical importance of Saudi Arabia to Emerson’s growth in the Middle East and Africa. The new facility and our local Saudi organisation will lead to greater collaboration between Emerson, local universities, and our customers, and complements our manufacturing capabilities in Jubail.”

There, in a 9,000 sq m plant  the company manufactures a range of industrial products and has capability to produce and test more than 2,500 Fisher control valves and up to 6,000 Rosemount transmitters annually as well as the capacity to assemble and test 3,600 valves  per year and service 12,500 valves and 6,200 transmitters.

The facility was opened in collaboration with local industrial company Saudi Fal Company Ltd.

It also facilitates training, sales, finance, and other support services for the industrial community in the area. The facility, located near Jubail Industrial College, has been operating since 2011. 

Also last month, it was announced that Emerson Process Management had been selected to provide automation and reliability technologies and services for Carbon Holdings’ Tahrir Petrochemicals Project at Ain Sokhna, Egypt. Emerson’s initial scope of work is estimated at $150 million.

Weeks earlier, Emerson Process Management announced the introduction of Smart Commissioning, a technology-enabled process that drastically reduces automation commissioning time and effort. Smart Commissioning helps automation projects meet strict and shifting deadlines by reducing trips to the field, eliminating tasks, and accommodating late project changes. It builds on advances made possible by the combination of the DeltaV distributed control system (DCS) Electronic Marshalling with CHARMs and AMS Device Manager software to remove automation from the critical path of projects.

With the release of version 13 software for the DeltaV DCS and AMS Suite, Smart Commissioning brings ease to automation project implementation. From the initial device connections to final system testing, users save money as they shave weeks off the project schedule by reducing time spent on automation commissioning activities.

Emerson Process Management’s brands include Bettis, DeltaV, Fisher, Micro Motion, Ovation and Rosemount.

Emerson, based in St Louis, Missouri (USA), is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2015 were $22.3 billion.