Four new projects to be located at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) will involve a total investment of almost $40 million and at full production will create 354 new jobs, said a senior government official.

Two projects are from well-known and long-established Bahraini companies, one from a major German engineering company and the fourth project has US and Bahraini investors, explained Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro.

Welcoming the new companies to the BIIP, Dr Fakhro said that these new announcements are a further confirmation of Bahrain's attractiveness for foreign investors and the growing strength of local Bahraini manufacturing companies.

BFG International Bahrain has manufacturing facilities in the kingdom, the Philippines, China, India, France and the US.

In its new Bahrain operation, the company will invest over $9m in the manufacture of advanced architectural products.

The project will employ 156 people at full production and will be located in a 10,000sqm unit at the Baytik Industrial Oasis at the BIIP.

Zayani Polystyrene Bahrain will invest over $9 million in a new facility to produce extruded and expanded polystyrene sheets.

This new factory will be built on a 10,000 sq m site at the park and at full production will employ 60 people.

It will be Jassim Zayani's second manufacturing facility at the BIIP.

In September 2011, Dr Fakhro officially opened the new Zayani Polymer factory which now employs 71 people.

SMS Meer is a major engineering company, located in Monchengladbach, Germany. It will establish a new engineering services, repair and refurbishment centre at the BIIP.

From here, it will provide engineering and technical support to its Middle East customer base.

SMS Meer is the sixth German company to locate at the BIIP and negotiations are continuing with another major German firm.

The new operation will be located at the Baytik Industrial Oasis and will employ 18 people at the end of first year.

Aerothrust Holdings Florida USA will take a 51 per cent share with its Bahraini partners Khalifa Al Sada and Ayman Al Obaidli in establishing a new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for jet aircraft engines.

The total investment will be over $20 million and the new centre will be located in a 9,600 sq m building at the Baytik Industrial Oasis.

At full production, it will employ 120 people.

The BIIP in the Salman Industrial City has already allocated 75 per cent of the total leasable area (1.5m sqm) to industrial and services projects.

The total number of projects at the BIIP currently is 73, with a total investment of $1.3 billion in which FDI investments represent 71 per cent.

Currently, 31 companies are operational at the BIIP. A further 21 factories are under construction and another 21 projects await initiation.

The BIIP also includes the Baytik Industrial Oasis project that is owned by Kuwait Finance House and it is established over an area of 117,000 sq m.

This project provides support to industry by offering pre-built industrial units to industrial and international services companies interested in leasing a facility instead of constructing their own and, in the same time, enjoying BIIP incentives. – TradeArabia News Service