“We are on a journey with our customers’’

"We are on a journey with our customers''

November 4, 2024

How investing in regional talent is strengthening partnerships and delivering benefits for customers around the world.

Growing partnerships in the Middle East has been a focus for Baker Hughes for many years. Now the Surface Pressure Control (SPC) product line, part of the Oilfield Services and Equipment business segment, makes its home there.

Zaher Ibrahim, Vice President Surface Pressure Control, Baker Hughes

"We have been working with most of our customers in this region for many decades, growing together and building a legacy," says Zaher Ibrahim, Vice President of Surface Pressure Control at Baker Hughes. Ibrahim is based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). He also spends a lot of time visiting customers and employees regionally, including at the Baker Hughes facility in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"We are on a journey with our customers and putting every effort in leveraging the power of our enterprise to transform the core, focus on our partnerships and localize our operations here", he adds.

Surface Pressure Control: History of Innovation timeline

Building core strength through localization

''Transforming the core is about focusing on our key customers and partners. It's about driving operational excellence across all aspects of our delivery, including optimization, supply chain, value creation and expansion of assets," explains Ibrahim. "Localization is vital and now we have brought SPC physically closer to those key customers, so that we can serve them even better and faster."

November 1, 2024, marked the inauguration of the new facility in Abu Dhabi, where the relocated SPC team has already welcomed employees joining from around the world. The new manufacturing facility and solutions center - built in partnership with Al Ghaith Energy - spans 46,000 square meters with a large local workforce. From the new Abu Dhabi Surface Pressure Control Solutions Center, the team supports manufacturing, repairs and field services for customers in the UAE and around the world.

"The new plant is another step forward, showing how we continue to support our customers' journey as they increase their portfolios," he says. "For us it's a partnership story across this dynamic region."

The 13-year-old facility in Dammam has also completed an important expansion project, increasing its capacity by over 50%. This plant supports key customers including Saudi Aramco and is foundational to the Baker Hughes strategy to support other localization initiatives across the region, including in Qatar and Oman.

"We have also added technology, including robotics, to uplift our manufacturing excellence and become more efficient," says Ibrahim. "The investment in faster, high-tech machines means we can accommodate different production lines, so we can reduce the delivery time for our customers and maintain the highest quality."

State-of-the art manufacturing facilities combined with local supply chains are designed to expand further to meet future needs. The two Gulf facilities and the Baker Hughes plant in Suzhou, China, are part of SPC's modern operational footprint that includes 10 service bases in the major basins where its customers operate.

Abu Dhabi Surface Pressure Control Solutions center quick facts

Built on 46,000 square meters of land, the 10,000 square meters building consists of:

>a robust manufacturing wing that houses top-tier machines,

>cladding capabilities that support full range wellheads manufacturing.

Beyond manufacturing, the facility features:

>a strategically designed headquarter,

>together with recreational facilities for employees and visitors to relax and focus on their well being,

>a fully equipped repair workshop, storage yards, all of which streamline processes and enhance operational efficiency.

Investing in the growth of people

While Baker Hughes boasts deep technical expertise, its people remain its greatest asset, and the company is focused on developing their talents. A prime example is the Wellhead Academy in Dubai, which is also open to Baker Hughes customers and local university students.

"People development is the critical component to all of that investment in manufacturing and technology," says Ibrahim. "We have a continuous development program for our teams, which is integral to building a skilled local workforce in the region, whether in the office, on the shop floor or in the field.

"We also have partnerships with leading academic and technical learning institutes across the whole Gulf region," he adds. "We are committed to developing the knowledge and skills of the people in this region, which is a priority for our partners too."

For example, Baker Hughes is actively involved in the UAE's National In-Country Value(ICV) and Make it in the Emiratesinitiatives, which are helping develop local talent in Abu Dhabi. In Dammam, the company has 65% Saudi staff as part of In-Kingdom Total Value Add initiatives. That percentage is continuing to grow ''with a target to reach 70% by 2030'', Ibrahim says.

Upskilling the local work force is crucial to achieving these goals.

"We have many Emirati field engineers in Abu Dhabi, and we are committed to their career development to take on bigger roles in the future," Ibrahim says.

Diversity is of course a priority.

"We continue to drive diversity and inclusion across the organization" says Ibrahim. "Our Service Delivery Technical Manager in the region is Ana Ayres, a very experienced control and automation engineer. And our Senior Engineering Manager in Dammam is Silvia Guerra, she originally comes from Mexico."

It all adds up to a richer talent pool.

"This pillar of our strategy [investing in the growth of our people] brings the capabilities we need - I can see the fresh perspective from our great female engineers who are also helping to drive a culture of support, collaboration and harmonization," he says. "Irrespective of where people come from, we make sure we are tapping into the right skills. Across 1,200 SPC employees, we have 47 nationalities in 20 countries. This diverse mix of talents means we deliver better, faster and we are more in tune with the environment and the culture around us."

Almost 50% of SPC staff are based in the Middle East. Baker Hughes moved its SPC headquarters to the region in 2020 to fully realign operations to be closer to customers and develop local expertise and supply chains, while continuing to solve global challenges.

"The work of field staff reminds us that the energy transition is not just about technology - it's about people," he says. "It's about collaboration, execution, and ensuring that services meet the evolving needs of our customers.

''We have success stories from Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Norway and other locations," Ibrahim says.

SPC service technicians at work

Moving forward together towards new energy

These substantial Baker Hughes investments in the Gulf are advancing both traditional and new energy ecosystems. The product portfolio is continually being optimized to elevate standardization and product configuration, eliminating complexity while ensuring quality. To embrace customers' energy transformations, the SPC product line team is developing solutions for shallow water, new energy, electrified production and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). Increased digitalization is further streamlining planning and performance in line with efficiency targets.

By localizing expertise and manufacturing across the three facilities in Dammam, Abu Dhabi and Suzhou, Baker Hughes aims to be an important partner as its key global customers work to deliver the energy needs of today and tomorrow.

"We are serving the whole world from this footprint," Ibrahim says. "Our capabilities are now here and growing, as is shown by the investment in the new facility, the expansion, and the ongoing focus on developing our team.''

"This deep legacy of working together with our customers, and our own growth story in the region mean we can take that journey to decarbonizationwith them. We are making sure our solutions fit our customers' net-zero ambitions to advance projects in CCUS, geothermal energy and hydrogen production for example."

It is already happening. "We have recently provided wellheads to support CCUSprojects for example - and we are actively executing and delivering the solutions to be a part of this transformation globally," says Ibrahim.

"Our surface pressure control solutions are helping to drive this energy mix and will be part of the transformation," says Ibrahim. "Our R&D team in the region is working hand-in-hand with our customers to seamlessly support their new energy priorities."

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