MAN ES strengthens its local footprint in the Middle East with a new service workshop for the oil & gas sector.

On 9 October 2018, the facility in Rusayl, situated South-West of Muscat (Oman), was inaugurated by His Excellence Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil & Gas, Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions SE and Maqbool Hameed al Saleh, Chairman of OHI and Head of leading companies from the Sultanate of Oman and abroad.

The new MAN PrimeServ one-stop shop in Oman was built under a Joint Venture between MAN Energy Solutions and its local agent OHI Petroleum and Energy Services (OPES). The company’s activities cover exploration for oil and gas, production of power and consumable water as well as related services to the several exploration and production companies such as the major state oil company Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

One of the main goals of the local entity set up by MAN ES and OHI is to offer privileged services to important customers like PDO, ORPIC and others in the region. In addition to that, Oman benefits from good transport and logistics links to the other five GCC states (Gulf Cooperation Council), making it a strategically favorable location to cover the regions’ needs for repairs and refurbishments of rotating equipment for the oil & gas industry as well as engines for energy generation.

“As the only Original Equipment Manufacturer with a state-of-the-art service workshop in Oman, MAN Energy Solutions sets a key milestone within the oil & gas market,” explains Dr Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions SE. “Together with OHI, we will use our renowned expertise and the larger capacities to increase our support towards customers in the Middle East.”  

During the inauguration, Maqbool Hameed al Saleh, Chairman of OHI, stated: “In line with His Majesty’s vision and to support Oman’s oil & gas sector, we are proud that this new workshop contributes significantly to the In Country Value in terms of investment, value retainment and more importantly in fostering training and employment objectives for the nationals. We see this joint venture as an enduring partnership, which will contribute to the Sultanate and set a new benchmark in this service sector. We are grateful for all the support we have received on this venture and we look forward to serving our customers with excellence.”

PDO Technical Director Amran Al Marhubi said: “PDO has supported the opening of a number of facilities in Oman providing vital services to the oil and gas industry and we are delighted by the inauguration of this joint venture between MAN Energy Solutions and OHI in Rusayl. It strengthens the local supply chain, bringing jobs, training, skills and investment to the Sultanate and once again it underlines the faith key vendors are showing in our country. The workshop will service vital rotating equipment, including compressors, turbines and pumps, and cut the costs and delivery times for the Omani oil and gas sector, which has previously looked abroad for such services. PDO will continue to work with our contractors and ensure more of the wealth of our industry is retained in Oman.”

The facility is equipped with the newest technology and machine tools needed for complex turbomachinery repairs. An essential feature is the high-speed balancing machine, which has the capacity to test rotating equipment weighing up to ca. five tons at speeds of up to ca. 20k rpm. The capacity will be enhanced to handle 18 tons in the near future. Furthermore, the workshop has two low speed balancing machines and is set to provide high quality and cost-effective turbomachinery inspection and repair solutions to OEM standards.

The new facility is not just geared to the needs of MAN’s technology solutions, but also to the third-party segment of the GCC region. In addition to compressors and steam turbines, the third-party segment includes related equipment such as centrifugal pumps and gears. “For customers in the third-party we offer speed, quality and flexibility,” says Mahesh Shownkani, Workshop Manager of MAN Energy Solutions in Muscat. “We have already demonstrated our capability in this respect. In the space of just six months, we have carried out four demanding third party assignments to the complete satisfaction of our customers.”

In recent years, the company has won a number of major projects from Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), including a long-term fleet service contract. With 60+ turbomachinery casings, MAN Energy Solutions has the largest share among the leading turbomachinery manufacturers in Oman.