OCC: The cornerstone in building the nation

OCC produces cement which meets Omani, European and American standards, and its cement has carved out a name for itself among all major contractors and consultants

MUSCAT: The establishment of Oman Cement Company (OCC) gave a shot-in-the-arm for the Sultanate’s drive towards selfreliance in core industries. Ever since the company was formed back in 1978, Oman gained the much-needed strength in its efforts to build the nation, especially its various infrastructure facilities, with the local availability of a key building material.

With an initial capacity of 600,000 metric tonnes per annum, the company has substantially enhanced its cement producing capacity to 3.6 million metric tonnes per year in three different phases over the years. The capacity expansion, which took the number of manufacturing facilities to three kilns and five cement mills, was in line with a robust growth in cement demand from both domestic market and the larger Gulf region, fueled by an oil-driven development.

In fact, the majority stateowned OCC plays a key role in infrastructure development of the Sultanate, and the overall progress of the premier cement producer was in line with the overall development of the Sultanate.

Elaborating on the progress of the company over the years, Dr Abdullah bin Abbas bin Ahmed, chairman of OCC, said, “Since 1978, Oman Cement Company has symbolised the country’s drive for self-reliance in its core industries. We have given new strength to the construction industry, consolidated the nation’s efforts for infrastructure development and created resources to achieve self-sufficiency.”

“Our vision and goal can be stated in two simple words Building Oman. We want to be the leading producer of cement in Oman and the larger Gulf region, respected for the quality of its products and services and for the way it conducts its business,” added the chairman.

Oman Cement Company, which was established as part of the renaissance initiated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, is a name synonymous with quality, strength and reliability.

“With a manufacturing facility operating on a world-class ISO 9001 certified quality management system, and ISO 14001 for our environment, our products meet global standards in performance and quality,” noted the chairman.

In fact, OCC produces cement which meets Omani, European and American standards, and its cement has carved out a name for itself among all major contractors and consultants. In addition, the company caters to the need of the local market and has successfully exported oil well cement and construction cement products to other countries.

OCC’s manufacturing process is fully computerised, which helps in checking major hazards in manufacturing and reduces manpower requirement. It exercises round-the-clock quality control at every stage of the production process - from the raw material extraction to the cement packing.

Giving details of the state-ofthe-art quality control system, Eng. Salem Al Hajri, chief executive officer of OCC, said; “The process control is fully automated and ably handled by highly qualified and experienced personnel. A state-of-the-art SAP forms a base for our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).”

“OCC promises to always be at the cutting edge of the cement technology and participate in the progress of the Sultanate and its people by providing the finest cement products to the GCC,” added Eng. Al Hajri.

OCC management is also committed to giving its employees high-quality training and professional courses to keep them abreast with the ongoing technological advancement in the global cement industry.

Further, OCC has been supporting the community in various activities such as organising fund raising programmes for the handicapped children, contributing to organisations for constructing mosques, special support for reconstruction of houses affected by natural calamities, sponsors sports activities and contributing to the governmental entities for organising various events.

The premier cement producer is also the only manufacturing company in the country to bag His Majesty Trophy for Best Factory for as many as 10 times and Sultan Qaboos Award for Industrial Excellence 2017/2018.