MUSCAT, JUNE 4 - Oman Drydock Company (ODC) welcomed potential supply partners to its facility to outline its approach to blasting and painting activities, which are key to delivering its service to ship owners from around the world.
Regional and local suppliers sent senior representatives to the event which was hosted by ODC’s Head of Supply Chain, Andrew Chapell. He was supported by a team drawn from across the business that had been instrumental in ensuring that the company’s needs had been fully captured.
Andrew welcomed the delegates and gave them an overview of the exciting and ambitious plans for the development of Duqm’s special economic zone. With ODC being seen as key to regional success he emphasised the broader business opportunities that will come with the growth of Al Wusta Governorate. Then ODC’s painting manager, Tim Emmerson took the stage to speak about the technical aspects of ODC’s future blasting and painting requirements. Tim was able to show the application of two coats of paint to over 30,000 square metres of hull which in reality took just under 12 hours.
ODC Acting Deputy CEO Admin Suleiman al Ghannami outlined ODC’s plans to move to a more strategic relationship with fewer blast and paint contractors. Al Ghannami also highlighted ODC’s focus in promoting In-Country Value (ICV).
“We take our social responsibilities seriously”, he said. “Through our revised approach to contracting for blast and paint services, we aim to deliver great service to our customers whilst at the same time working with suppliers to enhance the skills and competencies of local businesses”.
ODC is also looking for innovation from its future supply partners. The team were open about the technical and process challenges they face and recognised that the experts in the room may well have many of the answers.
As Andrew explained afterwards, this is the first of a series of supplier engagement days. “We have identified a number of areas where we are keen to establish more strategic relationships with key partners and you can expect to see a range of ODC collaboration events in the future.”
The next supplier engagement event will focus on steel and welding activities.
By Staff Reporter
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