Manama: KKC Industries WLL (iCOOL), a Chinese manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products has launched a US$10.7 million manufacturing facility in Bahrain. Through its operations in Bahrain, iCOOL will produce and export air conditioning insulation pipes to the Middle East, US, and European markets, utilising Bahrain’s strategic location and duty free trade through its FTAs with 22 countries around the world, including the first ever US FTA with a GCC member.
As an HVAC manufacturer, iCOOL serves customers from 130 countries with an annual revenue of US $420 million. Approximately 80% of the machinery used by iCOOL is designed and developed by the company, which allows iCool to operate at 10% higher capacity than its peers.
Gary Xu, General Manager at iCOOL-Bahrain commented: “With two decades of experience, iCOOL continues to introduce new and innovative products that improve efficiency. We build customer centric and products that are great value for cost, and Bahrain is the perfect location to capitalise on for our business through its refined manufacturing ecosystem, best-value operating cost and skilled workforce. We look forward to using Bahrain’s value proposition to generate high revenues as we target producing 480 containers of air conditioning insulation pipes within the first year of operation, equating to over US$ 31 million in revenue.”
Ahmed Sultan, Executive Director of Investment Development – Manufacturing, Transport, and Logistics at Bahrain EDB, commented: “Manufacturing is one of the key sectors for the Kingdom’s Economic Recovery Plan and the investment oppurtunities it creates. This announcement is a reflection of Bahrain’s unique offering for investors. We are delighted that iCOOL did choose Bahrain as their hub to serve their needs for their markets in the Middle East, US, and Europe while creating over 150 jobs in Bahrain during the next 3 years.”
As per the Kingdom’s Economic Recovery plan, Bahrain aims to increase the manfucturing sector’s contribution to the overall national origin export to 80.1% of Bahrain’s total export by 2026. Manufacturing accounts for around 14% of GDP and is the second largest contributor to Bahrain’s non-oil sector.
