Muscat: Duqm-based Karwa Motors is racing against time to deliver the first batch of buses that are to be used in the Qatar World Cup this year.
According to officials, the first batch of ‘Made in the Sultanate of Oman’ buses is ready for delivery with standard specifications in accordance with the Gulf and international transportation.
The project will contribute to new economic activities in the Duqm Special Economic Zone. It will also establish and support small and medium projects in the Duqm area. Karwa Company is a closed joint-stock company between the Oman Investment Authority and Qatar Transport. It became a model for foreign investment in providing job opportunities for Omani nationals, and it provides the state budget with positive financial returns. The company has prepared a clear training plan to qualify employees to work in the bus industry. Work is under progress in cooperation with authorities concerned to attract the best Omani cadres for training at various stages of work in the manufacturing field and absorb them as employees.
According to a report on al Jazeera TV, the project is classified as one of the most important strategic projects between Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman. The factory manufactures the structure of the buses, re-processes and paints them, and then assembles other parts. The process ensures a quality check of the buses. This is done inside the company premises, which has been prepared to include various production workshops for cutting, welding and dyeing works, assembling production components and materials, as well as a workshop for assembling equipment and engines. In addition, it has a central maintenance workshop, warehouses, sub-electricity stations, cold room equipment, a fuel station, the administration building and some other facilities.
The project is based on an estimated 600,000 square meters with investments amounting to $71 million. The Omani Investment Authority shared about 30 per cent, while Qatar Transport Company shared about 70 per cent of the project.
In its first phase, the project aims to produce between 500 and 700 buses annually, with production increasing to 1,000 buses in the coming stages. Karwa company represents great importance in the Special Economic Zone in Duqm; in addition to that, it reflects an added value to the Omani industries. This is a successful model of an Omani partnership with a Qatari company.
The company benefits from the advantages and incentives offered by the region in addition to the availability of the necessary services. After production from the first phase, the company will manufacture and assemble school buses and transport vehicles within cities and highways. It also has many other plans, including electric buses.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
