Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) is collaborating with DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS), the operations consulting business of DuPont, to improve operational performance and safety in the country’s desalination facilities.

SWCC is responsible for about 70 per cent of the total production of desalinated water in Saudi Arabia, said a statement from the company.

The collaboration will enhance the operational excellence and risk management processes at SWCC to ensure a sustainable water supply for the people of Saudi Arabia, it said.

Ali Al Hazmi, governor of SWCC, said: “Every activity taking place at SWCC now is to prepare for the privatisation of the company.”

“We want to create an environment that will allow us to compete internationally so that ultimately, we have a sustainable business that the people of SWCC and Saudi Arabia can benefit from,” he said.

“DuPont’s experience in implementing operational improvement initiatives at their own facilities, and in the Kingdom, is an integral part of our improvement process,” he added.

As part of SWCC’s aspirations to privatise and align with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 strategic objectives, the executive management decided to invest further in the transformation of its operations.

While SWCC has long been committed to operational excellence, the implementation of these critical initiatives will enable SWCC to produce water in a more cost-effective way. DSS and its partners will start at some of SWCC’s biggest facilities – plants, transmission lines and headquarters, said a statement.

Abdullah Al Zowaid, deputy governor, operations at SWCC, said: “This operational transformation project will aim at strengthening our practices in risk management and operational excellence.”

“The initiatives selected will focus on developing leadership capabilities, maximising productivity, reliability and cost optimisation,” he said.

Johan van der Westhuyzen, regional director for DSS – Turkey, Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “We are excited to collaborate with SWCC and have invited strategic partners to support us in helping the company achieve its aspirations.”

“Each partner will bring a unique set of best practices to ensure SWCC gets support from the world’s leaders in their respective fields:  Emerson to bring experience in automation and reliability, Riventa to provide expertise in water transmission and pumps, and GrahamTek with best practices in core desalination processes and technology,” he added.

Jean-Paul Sacy, senior manager at DSS, said: “Behavioural shift is at the core of the DuPont operational excellence approach and will play a key role in driving change through the SWCC organisation.”

“We are looking forward to progressively developing and empowering the SWCC team to drive continuous improvement into the future,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service