Oman-based SV Pittie Sohar Textiles said it has broken ground on its new training centre for cotton-yarn manufacturing skills development at SOHAR Freezone.
The manufacturing facility, which has already started its construction activity, will be operational in March next year.
Being built with an investment of $300mn, on a 27ha area, SV Pitties plant will be equipped with 150,000 spindles and 2,400 rotors, and will provide nearly 1,500 job opportunities, said the statement from the company. Financed by Bank Sohar, the plant is targeted to be commissioned later this year. The training centre facility is key, as it creates a lot of job opportunities for relevant skill-sets in the region.
The ground breaking ceremony was held in the presence of the company’s board of directors, ministry officials, key stakeholders, special invitees, senior management and the employees.
With the construction of the training centre, SV Pittie will be positioned to have the necessary well-trained, skilled Omani personnel that will help the companys manufacturing plant expand, create new jobs and contribute to the ongoing economic growth of the sultanate.
The imports of raw material – cotton will be from the US, Australia, Europe, and Turkey through SOHAR Port. It will produce finished yarn, which will then be exported to textile markets such as China, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh.
The training center together with the initiatives and programs set up by Government of Oman will be able to support the skilled workforce requirements of the sultanate, it stated.
On the new unit, chairman Vinod Pittie, said: “We at SV Pittie, are delighted to break-ground on our training center for cotton-yarn manufacturing skills today, and usher in a new era of progress in manufacturing education in the sultanate. The training centre is a fine example of people coming together for the betterment of the community in particular, and the economy at large.”
Pittie said the workforce development and economic diversification were the pillars of spurring economic growth in the 21st century and critical to attracting and growing businesses.
The establishment of SV Pitties cotton-yarn plant in SOHAR Freezone, is the first step in establishing downstream industries in the textile sector in the sultanate.
“The new plant, coupled with the training center, highly competitive logistics facilities, and a young, well-educated local workforce, will open up a number of future opportunities for investments in knitting, weaving, spinning, and fabric manufacturing, which could in turn create a thriving industrial cluster, within the local community,” he added.