Thursday 18 / April / 2024
Muscat: Rohn Products group has set up Oman’s first tower manufacturing facility and is ready for taking orders, the company officials said.
The OMR10 million-plant located in Sohar is expected to have an initial capacity of 28 towers a month, which can be doubled by mid-2018. The company designs and manufactures telecom towers for installation in urban, suburban, rural and remote areas for different agencies varying from telecom providers to radio and television broadcast and security agencies.
“We would like to announce that for the first time in Oman’s history, we have a fully-equipped tower manufacturing plant in Oman that will serve the entire Middle East and Far East regions. Our target sectors are the telecom providers, radio and television broadcast authorities, the Public Safety Sector and any other company that uses such infrastructure locally or globally,” said Robert W. McMahon, the President of Rohn Products International Arabia.
“The reason we chose Oman and Sohar is due to its location and we plan to serve not just Oman but the entire region with this venture. Exports to international markets are easy from Sohar as we are located 5km away from the port. Raw materials and industrial services are located close to our facility and therefore we can save a lot on logistics costs.”
It is a 60:40 joint venture between Rohn Products International Holdings and Rohn Products International Arabia.
The land size is 39,000 square metres, inclusive of a 10,000 square metres storage and warehouse area, and additional space is available for expansion.
“The plant is ready to begin operations. We already have an offer and others are in pipeline. This is an important step towards Oman’s diversification process and will give rise to more employment. There are many opportunities in Oman and with 5G services coming soon, we expect good business,” Talal Al Subhi, Executive Director of Rohn Products International Arabia said.
The company earlier entered into a long-term investment agreement with the Public Establishment for Industrial Estate for setting up the plant. The company had targeted from the onset the use of Omani raw materials and special services already existing in Oman.
This move has enabled the manufacturing plant to amplify the added value in the manufacturing sector in Oman.
“We plan to put in 80 per cent of the value back into the Sultanate’s economy as we have everything what we need in the country. This joint venture will be of great economic value for Oman’s economy and future. Given the fact that telecommunication is an important aspect of any country’s national security today, we can reliably manufacture these towers here in Oman with full independence,” said Talal S. Al Subhi, the Executive Director of Rohn Products International Arabia.
The company has United States certified Tower Climber training programme in the facility which will be used to train Omani technicians to safely climb, inspect and maintain towers according to international standards.
“To do that in the right way, we are installing an actual tower on the premises, where the trainees can gain practical experience and apply their classroom learning. This will further enable Omanis from different sectors to have a focused program related to the installation and servicing of towers in the country,” added Stephen Yeo, the Director of Engineering for Rohn Products International Arabia.
Rohn Manufacturing was founded by Dwight Rohn in 1948 in the United States, which today operates as Rohn Products, LC has since been a world leader in tower design and manufacturing. Rohn Products International Arabia as a company was founded in 2013. Rohn Products International Arabia operates in many countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Algeria, Morocco, Palestine, Thailand, and Angola.
