Eastern Province Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Fahd yesterday opened the Research & Development Center of Saudi Arabian Amiantit Co. in Dhahran yesterday. The governor, accompanied by Prince Ahmed bin Khaled, chairman of Amiantit, and Prince Turki bin Muhammad, vice chairman, toured the center and its advanced research facilities. Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan, president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Sulaiman Al-Thunayan, governor of Alkhobar and Dr. Sulaiman Al-Tuwaijri, CEO and managing director of Amiantit were also present. The new Amiantit Technology Center is the result of a close cooperation between the company and the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). The building, with its distinctive architecture, has been established prominently in Saudi Arabia’s Dhahran Techno Valley and the building’s outline symbolizes the innovative work that will be performed there. Together with the state-of-the-art testing and research equipment in the new laboratories, the R&D aims to be a leading center of competence in composite and pipe technologies and will work closely and in full cooperation with the Flowtite Technology Center in Sandefjord, Norway. The new center will further enhance the group’s Research & Development activities and contribute to the further success and sustainability of the group and its products, both in existing and new markets worldwide. The Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company was established in 1968 in Dammam in the Kingdom to manufacture pipes for the local market. Since then, it has grown and developed into a major diversified industrial group with operations spanning the globe. The group’s core business activities comprise: Manufacture and sale of pipe systems; ownership and sale of pipe technologies; the provision of water management consultancy and engineering services; and manufacture and supply of polymer products Today, the company markets a wider range of pipe products than any other pipe manufacturer, and provides a total solution to customers fluid transfer needs, designed to optimize the applied technology and costs. The group serves municipal, civil engineering, industrial, energy, and agricultural markets worldwide, supporting global infrastructure development. The group comprises 30 pipe system manufacturing plants, 6 technology companies, 4 materials suppliers, and 8 supply and engineering subsidiaries, in a number of countries around the globe. In addition, an extensive sales and service network caters for the needs of customers in more than 70 countries around the world. From : Arabnews