Baker Hughes, a provider of products and services for the oil and gas industry, has  opened a new operations centre in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

The 100,000-sqm facility, which houses laboratories, offices, repair and maintenance operations and a remote collaboration centre, is part of Baker Hughes’ expansion plans for the kingdom, a key growth market for the company.

The new facility allows Baker Hughes to better serve its Middle East clients. In addition to repair and maintenance capabilities, the base’s Beacon Center allows local teams to remotely manage and monitor operations in the region and to collaborate with clients and Baker Hughes’ technology experts located anywhere in the world.

“For the first time all Baker Hughes product lines are housed in the same facility in Saudi Arabia under one management team, which will drive consistent standards to improve service quality and reliability,” said Khaled Nouh, Middle East president for Baker Hughes.

Baker Hughes will expand its footprint in Saudi Arabia again next year with construction of a multi-million dollar research and technology center in KFUPM Dhahran Techno-Valley.

“The Dhahran Technology Center will integrate the competencies of engineers and scientists from the Saudi oil and gas industry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Baker Hughes to develop application-specific technologies for complex reservoirs, including the tight sand plays of Saudi Arabia,” explained Nouh.-TradeArabia News Service