Minister of Energy H.E Dr. Abdulhussain Mirza visited the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), as part of his tour of major industrial oil companies in Bahrain
The Minister, who was accompanied by the Secretary General of the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), GPIC Board Member, Dr. Ahmed Al Sharayan, was welcomed on his arrival by Company President Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, members of the GPIC Executive Management and Vice Chairman of the Company’s Labour Union.
Dr. Jawahery conveyed the greetings of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister's Adviser for Oil and Industrial Affairs and Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) Chairman, Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa and the Company’s Board of Directors. He briefed Dr. Mirza on the latest developments and progress at the Company, especially in the light of the Company's celebration of its 35th anniversary.
The Minister conveyed to Dr. Jawahery the government’s keenness to encourage and develop the energy sector and said the Company had developed its business performance and future plans, and geared for further expansion and production operations.
The Minister reviewed with Company officials a number of key aspects that require research and follow-up related to regional and global challenges faced by the petrochemical industry, and the need to work to overcome them by adopting more flexible policies and continued commitment to quality that distinguishes the Company's product.
He said that GPIC had set exacting standards for itself globally and said Bahrain’s leadership would continue to provide all support for the Company and its staff to maintain its leading position and the role it plays in the field of community service.
Dr. Mirza was given a detailed report on the Company’s major achievements, it production process and exports as well as on its training programmes, promotion of Bahrainis to supervisory positions and the Board of Directors’ initiatives to improve performance, and implement strategies, and future plans. He praised the great attention given by Management towards the development of human resources by organising workshops and training courses to enhance their professionalism, and develop their skills as well as to motivate them to make more efforts for the benefit of the Company.
Dr. Mirza congratulated GPIC on a number of awards it had won in the recent past and said these were great achievements for the Company and for Bahrain. He spoke, in particular, about the Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management as well as the Arab Award for Social Responsibility of Enterprises. He said the Princess Sabeeka Award for Women’s Empowerment was also feather in the cap for the Company since it had won the award for the second time.
Dr. Mirza expressed happiness and pride at the achievements said these reflected the prestigious reputation the Company enjoys all over the region and beyond. He praised the efforts of Company employees and said it was because of their hard work that the Company had been able to achieve international recognition.
Dr. Jawahery provided a brief but comprehensive introduction about the nature of the Company's business strategy and outlined its operating procedures and exports. He said the Company’s products are known for their high quality since the manufacturing process is conducted with the latest and most modern techniques and conform to the highest environmental standards.
Dr. Jawahary and the Executive Management later accompanied Dr. Mirza to the Academy of Learning and Leadership and the Centre of e-learning, where he had a look at the training procedures and the programmes which contribute to continuing education of the Company employees by providing them with the latest technology and knowledge relating to the industry and characterized by its accelerating development.
The Minister also toured the various environmental projects within the complex, including the Princess Sabeeka Medicinal Herbs Garden, the Charity Fish Farm and the Bird Sanctuary.
Dr. Mirza valued highly the professionalism and the high work standards at the GPIC and said it had set a benchmark for other companies to follow. He said he was proud that the GPIC was today one of the best companies in the world and comparable to the best in Europe and America not only in terms of its products but also the comfortable working environment, professional management systems and dealings between the workers and the management.