Reverse engineering could solve the problem of most plants in Saudi Arabia which have approximately a third of their spare parts outdated and that are faced with high costs of replacing systems, said an official in a report.

Many plants in the kingdom are over 25 years old with aging equipment and lack engineering drawings necessary to source the spare parts locally, Dr Hashim Al Zain, director of engineering at DarTec, a consultancy specialised in reverse engineering, was quoted as saying in a Saudi Gazette report, during a recently held workshop.

He added that with reverse engineering, 3D laser scanning allows to localise spare parts.

Localisation of spare parts not only saves cost of 10 to 15 per cent but also saves time which manufacturers take months to provide, he said.

Moreover, it also has the potential to generate jobs for Saudis as well.

Al Zain added that localisation by 30 per cent of parts such as pumps, valves, and compressors could add SR1.9 billion ($506.5 million) to the gross domestic product (GDP) and create around 5,700 to 7,250 direct jobs for the next six years.