RIYADH: The Saudi Specialized Laboratory Co. (Motabaqah) announced on Wednesday the opening of its new, state-of-the-art Petrochemical Testing Laboratory located in the First Industrial City district of Dammam.

“This new laboratory will enable the world-class testing of a wide range of petrochemical products and significantly enhance the capacity of Motabaqah to provide high quality testing of products traditionally imported into the Kingdom from overseas. Importantly, however, this new facility also provides these same testing services for products manufactured in the Kingdom for use within Saudi Arabia or for export overseas,” said Neil Goss, general manager of Operations and Business Development at Motabaqah.

Spelling out the new initiatives of his company, he said it recently commenced operation of a fully licensed and accredited electrical testing laboratory located in Riyadh, and is nearing completion of two more electrical laboratories in Jeddah and Dammam. “These laboratories will focus on the testing of household and industrial electrical goods to ensure they are safe and appropriate for use in the Kingdom. Importantly, these laboratories will provide a service for the testing of electrical goods manufactured in the Kingdom for export. This service capability significantly enhances the development and growth of industries involved in the manufacturing of electrical goods in Saudi Arabia,” he added. The new Petrochemical and Electrical Laboratories will expand Motabaqah’s current network of testing laboratories already operating in Riyadh and Jeddah. In Jeddah, Motabaqah operates a Chemical and Microbiological Laboratory which conducts testing on cosmetics, detergents, soaps, perfumes and other consumer products to ensure they comply with the Kingdom’s safety and performance standards.

Goss pointed out that through this testing, Motabaqah offers an essential service to the Kingdom by ensuring the products purchased in the Kingdom are safe and effective and that the community is protected from potentially harmful, toxic or dangerous goods. He indicated that the company operates in close cooperation with government agencies in the Kingdom to ensure compliance with guidelines and provide a vital safety protection service to consumers. In Riyadh, the existing Motabaqah laboratories focus on the testing of two important product and service areas vital to the Kingdom. The first of these is in the measurement, calibration and verification of a wide range of electronic, telecommunications and other sophisticated equipment and is carried out in what is known as the MCV Laboratory. This laboratory provides an essential service to a broad range of national and international companies to ensure that this complex equipment operates correctly and at peak efficiency.

The second laboratory in Riyadh conducts tests on food products for the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) using an advanced technology known as Nucleic Acid Testing. The GMO Laboratory is the only one of its type in the Kingdom and provides a specialist service for the detection of products produced using genetic manipulation techniques. This service enables consumers to be aware of the contents of the foods that they purchase and consume and to make informed choices about those foods. In addition, this laboratory has recently introduced a sensitive procedure for the detection of pork products in various foods and food production substances, such as lard and biscuits, which may be imported into the Kingdom. This unique test allows for the strict adherence to the religious instructions of the faith and provides assurance to the community that the religious principles can be adhered to.