The ceremony was held under the patronage of H H Sayyida Dr Muna bint Fahad bin Mahmoud al Said, and was attended by several senior government officials, business leaders and dignitaries.
In its first stage, the company will provide nearly 500 job opportunities for Omani nationals. The CACI factory is located in Sur industrial area over a 200,000sqm land and equipped with eight of the world’s best Italian production lines in terms of equipment and technology. The factory has an annual production capacity of 15mn sqm of ceramic and porcelain tiles with the latest designs and world-class quality to meet the different needs of customers.
Salim bin Abdullah al Wahaibi, CEO of Ceramic Al Hael, said, “The CACI factory aims to provide 100 per cent Omani products with world-class standards, increasing in-country value. We want this factory to be ranked as the best in the Middle East.”
“The project will create job opportunities for Omanis and train them in the latest skills in the ceramic manufacturing industry. This will serve Oman’s objectives of development and diversification of sources of income,” Wahaibi added.
Ezzat Aisawi, CACI factory project manager, said that the project has achieved a completion rate of 95 per cent and the actual production phase will start during the first quarter of 2018.
Marwan al Nadabi, human resources manager at CACI said, “Fulfilling the company’s commitment to Omanisation, the number of Omani employees at the factory will reach 500 during the first year of operation, which now stands at 50 per cent of the total number of employees.”
Experts from the world’s largest ceramic manufacturing company are currently training Omani staff on site, during installation and pilot operations. Contracts have been signed with the largest international factories in Europe and the Middle East to train technical personnel.