Oman is a net exporter of stones with exports indicating an increasing trend since 2011. There has been fairly significant explosion of the stone industry in Oman. Key Omani marble and stone producers include Al Rawas Stone & Granite; Al Turki Enterprises; Hamood Al Rashidi & Bros Trading Company; Gulf Mining Materials Company; Al Shanfari Marble Company; Natural Stones, and Al-Zerabi Trading Establishment.

Marble production stood at 1,629,342 MT valued at US$ 52 million in 2015. Oman produced 12,156,031 MT of limestone and 720,213 MT of laterite. Oman needs a stone Testing Lab with state-of-the-art facilities that will help buyers choose the right stone where the physical characteristics, chemical composition and mineral constituents are made known to the users for zeroing in on the ‘best’ according to the nature of a project.

Oman can gain significantly from its vast limestone and marble wealth if suitably commercialised. There is a big demand for crusher and grinding equipment, mobile crusher plants, conveyor belts, feeders, mills for quarrying and machinery like CNC water jet machines, 6 Axis CNC Diamond wire saw machines, 5 Axis stone working station, gang saw, bridge cutting machines, block cutters, single head Polishing Machines, side cutting machines, lathe machines, EOT cranes, gantry cranes have to be in place.

There is a big demand for firms dealing in cutting and polishing of white marble. Stone Technology will be an international exposition on stone industry which will showcase the world of natural dimensional stones, ancillary products and services comprehensively.

EXHIBITION PROFILE

Muscat: In an effort to capitalise on the global construction boom, Ithraa has taken a group of six Omani marble and stone producers to exhibit at the Xiamen International Stone Fair in China, from March 6 to March 9, 2015. The four-day fair attracted thousands of industry professionals and showcased companies from across the world.

Taleb Al Makhmari, Ithraa’s Director of Export Facilitation, said: “global construction is a multi-trillion dollar industry and Xiamen is the biggest importer and exporter of stone in China. So, if Omani companies want to get a foothold in Asia’s construction sector, then Xiamen is the tradeshow to be at. In fact, over the course of the event we’ve had more than 8,000 visitors walk on to our pavilion.”

Joining Ithraa in Xiamen have been representatives from Al Rawas Stone & Granite; Al Turki Enterprises; Hamood Al Rashidi & Bros Trading Company; Gulf Mining Materials Company; Al Shanfari Marble Company; and Al-Zerabi Trading Establishment.

“It’s been a remarkable experience,” said Essam Al Qaffaf, General Manager, Hamood Al Rashidi & Bros Trading Company. “We didn’t expect it to be this good. We’ve had a lot of visitors on the pavilion, and frankly, we’ve been overwhelmed by the interest. We’ve got 35 potential immediate deals in China, seven of which are almost sealed. What we need to do post-Xiamen is look into increasing production to meet strong Chinese demand,” he added.

Emerging economies in Asia remain the fastest growing region for construction. It is estimated that by 2030 more than 55 per cent of Commenting on Zerabi Trading’s participation in Xiamen, Osamah Al Rasbi, Purchasing Manager said: “We came here to expand our business network, find new buyers and review the latest industry machinery. We met with existing clients, Omani marble specialists from Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, as well as Chinese firms looking to forge new business ties.”
“We’re pleased that we made the effort to attend, it’s been very worthwhile,” Al Rasbi added.