Housings and fittings and other critical components for oilandgas processing are the likely products for Aramcorsquos proposed quothighend forging and casting complexquot at Ras AlKhair Saudi Arabia

GE Backing $400M Saudi Forging, Casting Project

June 3, 2016

Saudi Aramco, General Electric, and Cividale SpA have a memorandum of understanding to build a $400-million, “first of its kind, high-end” forging and casting complex in Saudi Arabia, with production to start by 2020.

Robert Brooks

Saudi Aramco, the national natural-gas and petroleum company for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has a memorandum of understanding with General Electric Co. (IW500/6) and Cividale SpA to build a “first of its kind, high-end” forging and casting complex at Ras Al-Khair, with production to start by 2020. The $400-million project seeks to supply critical finished parts to energy and maritime manufacturing interests in the Middle East and North Africa.

“The MoU reflects our ambition to create a robust supply chain that builds positive synergies in the oil-and-gas manufacturing sector,” according to Abdallah I. Al-Saadan, SVP - Finance, Strategy and Development for Saudi Aramco.

The partners’ respective investment stakes and their roles in the eventual operation were not provided.

Described by Aramco only in general terms, the "Forging and Casting Manufacturing Facility" is said to complement several other Aramco projects, including one focused on building and servicing offshore platforms, jack-up rigs, offshore service vessels, and commercial tankers.

Forging is an IndustryWeek companion site within Penton's Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group.

About the Author

Robert Brooks | Content Director

Robert Brooks has been a business-to-business reporter, writer, editor, and columnist for more than 20 years, specializing in the primary metal and basic manufacturing industries. His work has covered a wide range of topics, including process technology, resource development, material selection, product design, workforce development, and industrial market strategies, among others. Currently, he specializes in subjects related to metal component and product design, development, and manufacturing — including castings, forgings, machined parts, and fabrications.

Brooks is a graduate of Kenyon College (B.A. English, Political Science) and Emory University (M.A. English.)