An Open Day at the end of April celebrated the opening of Rotork Middle East’s purpose-built factory in Dubai. Situated in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, the new premises contain offices and workshops, with initially 15 sales and technical staff and plans for further expansion.

The new 600 square metre facility provides increased local support for business in flow control markets throughout the Middle East, where Rotork has been active since the 1950s. A Rotork regional presence was first established in Abu Dhabi in the 1970s.

Recent projects involving the Middle East oil and gas industries include the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline linking Habshan and Fujairah, the Ruwais Refinery expansion and the New Doha International Airport. Rotork valve actuation and control technologies are also widely utilised in the area’s water and waste treatment, power generation, desalination, infrastructure and environmental improvement industries.

As well as holding stocks of products and spares locally, the new facility will provide a full range of valve adaptation, retrofitting, site service and asset management activity encompassing electric and fluid power actuators and associated equipment. A driving force behind the expansion is the demand for reduced project downtime, with more scope for planned, emergency and preventative maintenance.

Rotork Chief Executive Peter France and Edward Hobart, HM Consul General in Dubai, performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony, at which Graeme Mullin, HM Trade and Investment Advisor in Dubai and Terry Willis, Regional Director of the Energy Industries Council, were also present.