Baker Hughes significantly strengthened its Middle East capabilities with the opening on Sunday of a new operations center in Dhahran. The 100,000-square-meter facility, which houses laboratories, offices, repair and maintenance operations and a remote collaboration center, is part of Baker Hughes' expansion plans for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a key growth market for the company. The Dhahran facility opening ceremony was attended by Saudi Aramco executives; partners; dignitaries; oil and gas industry stakeholders; and Baker Hughes executives. During the event, Baker Hughes showcased its product and service portfolio, as well as its successful collaborations with Saudi Aramco. The new facility allows Baker Hughes to better serve its Middle East clients. In addition to repair and maintenance capabilities, the base's BEACON Center allows local teams to remotely manage and monitor operations in the region and to collaborate with clients and Baker Hughes' technology experts located anywhere in the world. Khaled Nouh, Middle East president for Baker Hughes, said the Dhahran operations base is a testament to Baker Hughes' long-term commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “For the first time all Baker Hughes product lines are housed in the same facility in Saudi Arabia under one management team, which will drive consistent standards to improve service quality and reliability,” he noted. “Our investments in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East have positioned us to provide superior operations support in the region. The Dhahran base also underscores our commitment to creating new jobs and empowering the local economy in line with the vision of the Kingdom's leaders.” Baker Hughes will expand its footprint in Saudi Arabia again next year with construction of a multi-million dollar research and technology center in KFUPM Dhahran Techno-Valley. “The Dhahran Technology Center will integrate the competencies of engineers and scientists from the Saudi oil and gas industry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Baker Hughes to develop application-specific technologies for complex reservoirs, including the tight sand plays of Saudi Arabia,” Nouh further said.
