As part of its ambitious plans for regional expansion, Dubai-based Immensa, a leading additive manufacturing and digital warehousing company in the MENA region, has opened a new facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The 1,500 square meter facility was inaugurated by Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Osama bin Abdulaziz Al-Zamil.
The $15 million facility, the first private sector industrial-grade additive manufacturing centre in the kingdom, is expected to change the production process from traditional, low-value products using conventional manufacturing to high-value production.
The new factory will enable on-demand and local production of high-value spare parts for sectors such as energy, oil and gas, and petrochemicals, which in turn will create supply chains which are more agile, reliable, and sustainable – particularly within hard-to-abate sectors – while saving company cost and time. The centre will expose engineers in Saudi Arabia to its world-class infrastructure that will support the upskilling of local talent. In addition, the centre will also service regional markets including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Ali Abdulaziz Alturki, Chairman, Immensa, says, “Immensa exists to localize the production and supply of spare parts across various critical industries. This new facility marks the expansion of our efforts to onshore production to help industries reinforce and decarbonise their value chains. Today, additive manufacturing is a firmly established process, and we are harnessing the power of 3D printing to support local industries, along with economic growth and sustainability.”
Managed and run by a local team of 3D printing experts and supported by more than 30 specialised engineers, the Dammam facility comes with cutting-edge technologies, featuring the region’s largest General Electric direct metal laser melting (DMLM) additive machine for the toolless manufacture of complex parts.
Saudi Arabia, with its strategic geographical location, resources, and skilled workforce, is aiming to become a global leader in additive manufacturing by producing 3D-printed raw material, developing engineering design capabilities, and localizing additive manufacturing services.
The Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning puts manufacturing as the third largest contributor to the nation’s GDP. Saudi Arabia is also making huge investments in Industry 4.0 technologies that increase productivity and competitiveness while minimizing costs, waste, and carbon footprint.
