Under the Patronage of H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Undersecretary of Industry Affairs Mr. Osama Mohammed Alorrayedh today performed the official inauguration of Agility regional logistics and distribution hub in the country, in presence of Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board Mr. Khalid Al Rumaihi and representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and Customs Affairs. The new 28,500 sqm facility in Hidd, enhances the company’s warehousing, freight, transport and specialty logistics capabilities.
During the ceremony, Undersecretary of Industry Affairs delivered a speech on behalf of H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism stating that “The Kingdom of Bahrain is undergoing rapid economic transformation and continuing to attract international investment, with the logistics industry playing a major role towards this. The industry benefits not just from Bahrain’s strategic geographic location, but also its growing infrastructure, established transport links and policies that are conducive to fostering business. The expansion of the regional logistics and distribution hub is a natural step for Agility, who have been steadily developing their operations in Bahrain since 2003.”
From his part, Mr. Essa Al-Saleh, CEO of Agility Global Integrated Logistics, said: “Bahrain is one of our key operational markets in the Middle East, offering high-quality infrastructure and a diverse community of regional business players. With an expanding population in the GCC and an increase in demand for integrated logistics services, our investment in Bahrain will help us better serve customers in the region. The opening of our new facility is a testament to our commitment to this promising market.”
Mr. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, said: “Bahrain offers the lowest setup and operating costs for a logistics business with cost savings of 30 to 40 percent compared to the rest of the GCC. This has encouraged several companies to utilize our ports and free zones in order to set up businesses and access the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Arab world. Agility’s investments in the local logistics industry are testament to the business confidence that Bahrain provides.”
The new facility supports contract logistics with ambient, chilled and frozen storage, as well as solutions for high-value cargo. It will offer secure records management and storage and turnkey logistics for Bahrain-based manufacturers in the fast-moving consumer goods industry.
Agility is a leading provider of cross-border transportation, owning and operating a fleet of over 200 vehicles. Agility also facilitates customs brokerage for a number of multinational organizations based in Bahrain.
The new facility, which has storage capacity of 17,000 pallet positions, represents a $10 million investment by Agility. It follows expansion of the company’s overland fleet in Bahrain to support its regional operations.
A recent World Bank report estimates that Bahrain’s economy will grow by 2.6 percent in 2019, driven by higher oil production and mega projects. In 2017, the total value of foreign direct investment (FDI) attracted by Bahrain EDB reached $733 million, with the share of transport and logistics being 10 percent.
