Al Hassan's Buraimi switchgear plant to boast cutting-edge technology (20 Sep 2008)

Al Hassan Switchgear Manufacturing Company, whose sales volume is slated to touch $ 35 million, has started building a new export-oriented factory in Buraimi, whose complete operations will be controlled by a hand-held PDA. Covering a total area of 50,000 square metres, this factory is being built for catering to the booming UAE market.

The Buraimi project will export nearly 90 per cent of its turnover, said Maqbool Ali Salman, Managing Director, Al Hassan Group of Companies, in an exclusive interview with Oman Observer.

In line with the latest trend in international switchgear industry, the convergence of electrical and communication technology at the Buraimi factory would ensure that its complete operations are controlled by means of a hand-held PDA. In foreseeable future, said Maqbool Salman, "More and more communication modes like e-mail, mobile and internet will be used for switching, control and protection of electrical networks. The days are not far when complete plant electrification can be controlled using a PDA from any part of the world".

Maqbool Salman said, "In the core infrastructure business all technologies need reliable and clean electric power. The challenge is to supply clean electric power minus harmonics and spikes. We are geared to provide the same at distribution level networks.

More and more compacting of switchgear is expected with embedded web-based solutions. We are ready and poised well for this change and when the change blooms, our solutions will be ready". Al Hassan has also started test marketing IT-enabled solutions for the new housing societies coming up in Oman, he said.

Al Hassan Switchgear Manufacturing Company LLC, established in1990, has grown to be the largest GCC manufacturer of a complete portfolio in low and medium voltage switchgear products. More than 60 per cent of its annual output is exported. Maqbool Salman said all activities from design, fabrication, painting, and testing at this factory are carried out under a single integrated operation.

The company boasts an extensive supply reference in Oil and Gas industry. The Buraimi facility is central to Al Hassan’s plans to be a dominant regional player in the switchgear business. Al Hassan’s existing switchgear at Ghala is the only Omani company whose plant is KEMA KEUR certified which is a hallmark of recognition not only for its products but also the whole process.

Al Hassan also has a technical joint venture agreement with Siemens for manufacturing medium voltage panels and has supplied more than 1,000 such panels for the most prestigious projects of Oman. Al Hassan is the only Omani company to manufacture Control and Relay panels up to 220 kV. The panels manufactured and supplied by Al Hassan are installed and commissioned in the first prestigious project interconnecting the Power Grids of Oman and UAE through the Al Wasit - Al Ain Overhead Line. The panels have to be top class as mal-operation of such panels can collapse the power supply of the whole region. Al Hassan has supplied state-of-the-art Intelligent Motor Control Centres to various networks of PDO. It has also successfully supplied panels to the largest power plant projects of PDO at Qarn Alam and Mukhaizna. Its panels power the 1,000 MW power station at Sohar Aluminium complex. As aluminium industry runs mainly on power, these panels are critical and meet the highest standards set by Alstom, France. Al Hassan has also supplied panels for the latest colour TV studio coming up in Muscat. That explains why it is the winner of the most prestigious national award, namely the His Majesty’s Cup for the Best Factory in 2000 and His Majesty’s Shield in 2006.

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