Baytik Industrial Oasis (BIO)

Baytik Industrial Oasis (BIO) is a part of one of the Bahrain’s region’s most exclusive industrial parks, Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP). The idea of BIO is to be a state-of-the-art industrial park offering offer special and unique services and benefits to industrial and related firms. Osama Khajah, Chairman of BIO, explains:

“The park is part of a model that Kuwait Finance House created to provide direct access to capital and finance from the bank, with the park providing both infrastructure and facilities, as well as a state-of-the-art international training center. This model can assist and attract industrialists to set up their businesses in the park. Recently, Siemens, an international company, selected our park to be home to its operations for the entire Middle East. Siemens commissioned its operations in five months from the date we signed the agreement, so saving time is a big advantage BIO offers its tenants.”

Khajah also sees a lot of other potential benefits to locating in the park: “There are large plans announced by the ministry of industry and commerce to develop a large economic zone which will provide further access to land for industries. The continuing development over the coming few years in Salman Industrial City where BIO is located will definitely be to our advantage.”

Nevertheless, Khajah says, “Attracting companies is not an easy task for BIO because it looks at high value premium projects and talents and it cannot compete with low cost parks. Whether they are international, local or joint ventures, [BIO is primarily designed for] companies that are looking for quick start-ups for their business and are looking for a unique location within the Bahrain International Investment Park.”

While Phase 1 of BIO, consisting of 110,000 m2, is completed, BIO and Kuwait Finance House are also developing another type of venture to add a logistics dimension to the industrial concept. According to Khajah,
“The venture is based on the existing and future need in Bahrain and in the region for logistics. The park and Salman Industrial City are adjacent to Khalifa Bin Salman port and Bahrain does not have proper logistics companies that function at the maximum possible value chain, from warehousing, packaging, labeling and handling. . . . [W]e strongly believe that Bahrain will be a hub for logistics and, at least in the short term, will have a key role in the GCC in logistics.”

Kuwait Finance House is also the financing bank for Diyar Al Muharraq.