Oman Aluminium Rolling facility commissioned

The Oman Aluminium Rolling Company (OARC) officially opened its manufacturing facility under the auspices of Dr Mohammed Hamad Al Rumhi, Minister of Oil and Gas, here yesterday.
The ceremony was attended by Hilal Al Kharusi, Chairman of the OARC, and Buddy Stemple, CEO of the OARC, along with higher government official delegates and representatives of private sector organisations.

Owned by Takamul Investment Company with a total cost of OMR148 million, the OARC plant is one of the largest added value projects in the aluminium processing industry at the Sohar Industrial Area.

The annual capacity of the plant is 140,000 tonnes of multi-purpose aluminium sheets which are to be sold in the local markets and exported to the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America.

The plant is located next to the Sohar Aluminium Smelter, where smelted aluminium is transferred directly to the rolling processing with various alloys, depending on the market needs. The company signed a long-term contract with Sohar Aluminium Company to receive smelted aluminium directly from the plant, underscoring the added value the new operation will contribute to the Omani economy.

Highlighting the expected outcomes of the production plant, OARC's Chief Executive Officer, Buddy Stemple, told reporters, "We very proudly unveil this high-scale project which is meant to not only meet the needs of the local market but to also be a major competitor in the regional and international markets. Strategically located in Sohar, this project will supply top quality aluminium products to various industries across Oman and abroad, and is expected to grow rapidly in the coming few years. I am very proud to be part of this project, and I am looking forward to the commencement of our commercial operations. OARC is, without doubt, an Omani brand with international standards."

The project provides more than 300 direct job opportunities for the residents of Sohar, and contributes to a large number of downstream opportunities and a variety of SME investment opportunities to meet the ongoing needs of the plant. The current Omanisation percentage at OARC is 70 per cent, where 89 per cent of the national workforce is from North Al Batinah and areas nearby the plant, with 100 per cent Omanisation on the plant operations level.

The OARC plant was built to meet environmental and safety standards, and it is equipped with modern industrial technologies for the aluminium rolling industry. As a result of committing to such high safety standards, it successfully exceeded 5 million accident-free man-hours, during the construction phase. Since its inception, OARC has always aspired to look after its employees and develop their skills as part of investing in the available human resources through well studied human resource planning and effective skills enhancement programs, in order to achieve the target objectives.

The plant produces aluminium sheets from 75 micron to 8mm thickness and up to 1900 mm wide. The alloys are used in a wide variety of manufacturing industries for use as food containers, ceilings panels, building and construction materials and heat exchangers.