Tamkeen has extended its support to Elames, a division of Behzad Group, to introduce a new high-tech machine in Bahrain that will increase production capacity by 400 per cent.

This is being funded through financial assistance from Tamkeen's Technical Assistance Scheme (Techania), part of the Enterprise Development Support Programme.

The company, specialists in supplying finishing materials to construction projects, signed the contract with Tamkeen at its headquarters in Sitra.

The BD65,000 ($172,390) piece of equipment uses laser-guided tools to produce precisely-cut finishing materials such as tiles and kitchen counter-tops from raw materials including stone, marble, and granite to any specification and design.

'This technology vastly improves the way we do business,' said Elames product director Mishal Behzad.

'The significant jump in production capacity allows us to confidently bid for mega projects across the GCC.

'It also lessens our reliance on unskilled manual labourers who can be replaced with a smaller team of well-trained Bahrainis, which in turn cuts unit cost considerably and improves our profitability,' he said.

Behzad said that the company, which currently operates offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, plans to expand its presence further by opening more branches across the entire GCC region, and will seek the support of other Tamkeen programmes in this endeavour.

The updates to Tamkeen's Enterprise Development Support Programme encompass all schemes under its umbrella and came as a result of Tamkeen's efforts to improve the performance of private sector enterprises in Bahrain, in line with the goals of the Economic Vision 2030.-TradeArabia News Service