The need to improve and further develop the engineering services sector to be able to cope up with the economic development targets of the Kingdom, particularly in industrial projects, was the consensus reached at the three-day Second Saudi Engineering Forum which formally opened here Sunday at the King Fahd University of Petroleum. Abdulrahman Al Rabiah, President of Saudi Council of Engineers, in his keynote presentation, said Saudi Arabia's engineering sector has not been performing well in supporting the national economy. “It is clearly observed that the engineering sector is weak and there is no definite program or developing plan. For instance, there is no program for developing the engineer in the public and private sector, and there is no proportion or share of the budget for the training in public and private sector including the numbers of conferences and professional courses which should be obtained and shared by every engineer in Saudi Arabia,” he said. He said the current weakness of the local engineering sector can be overcome by developing engineering services sector with vocational and administration programs and adequate financial support. The petrochemical industry, which has adapted strategic plan to increase production, requires the upgrading of the local engineering sector, according to Abdullah Bazid, Vice President of Shared Services, Sabic. Bazid said that over the eight years to 2012, the Middle East's total installed ethylene capacity will increase from 10 million tons per year to almost 35 million tons per year, which is equivalent to more than two-thirds of global capacity additions over the same period. He said Saudi Arabia refining and petrochemical sector is expected to reach $95 billion in 2010. He said the region's demand for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and vendor support services will hike and therefore the local engineering industry must be able to meet this demand. “Sabic will share its experience and learning in developing the right business formula to develop a competitive EPC services and aided with the right technical support,” Bazid said. The Saudi Ministry of Transport will also contribute to the development of the engineering sector, according to Abdullah Al-Mogbel, Deputy Minister of Transport, who presented an overview on the role of the transport industry to the engineering sector of the Kingdom. “We will discuss the role of the ministry in the development of the engineering sector through the establishment of training and career development programs according to well established practices,” he said. Zaki Selim, Middle East-Asian President, Schlumberger, said the company has already a well-established Technical Centers of Excellence in Saudi Arabia wherein young Saudi engineers are trained. The current growth of physical and social infrastructure projects in the Kingdom is creating a challenge to architectural and engineering (AE) firms, according to Hussein Fayez, Vice President of Zuhair Fayez Partnership, one of the country's leading AE groups. Some 400 local, regional and international delegates are attending the forum being held under the patronage of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.
