Week 47 in Review: iktva signings, the Firefighter Challenge, and all kinds of World Cup fun.

Here’s a look back at some of the top headlines over the past week.

Aramco signs 59 new agreements under the iktva program

Aramco this week signed 59 corporate procurement agreements (CPAs) with 51 local and global manufacturers, with potential to create 5,000 new jobs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the next decade. The agreements, valued at $11 billion, are expected to reinforce Aramco’s robust supply chain and result in the development of materials manufacturing facilities in the Kingdom. 

The 59 CPAs cover multiple strategic commodities, such as drilling chemicals, wellheads, switchgears, vibration monitoring systems, pipes, compressors, structure steel, fittings and flanges, and air-cooled heat exchangers.

Our significant investments in a network of accomplished local suppliers strengthens Aramco’s resilience, ensuring that we remain the world’s most reliable energy company.
— Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi, Aramco senior vice president of Technical Services

World Cup: Download the schedule, play in our daily contest, and joint the conversation on our blog

The FIFA 2022 World Cup is always a popular draw at Aramco, but interest spiked early this year with Saudi Arabia’s shocking upset of tournament stalwart Argentina.

From Fan Zone information to schedules to contests to Saad Noor’s popular blog, Aramco LIFE features a bevy of information, videos, photos, and more every day.

Check it out; let’s play!

Firefighter Challenge returns to Ithra

For the first time in the event’s 14-year history, Aramco has invited firefighters from around the world to compete in its Firefighters Challenge. 

Firefighters from across the company and the Kingdom representing the Fire Protection Department, Civil Defense, Aramco joint ventures (YASREF, SAMREF, SASREF, SATORP, and Sadara), and the Saudi Electricity Company will compete for the champion title of “Toughest Firefighter Alive” alongside their international firefighter colleagues.

And there’s still time to catch some of the action. The event, which opened Wednesday, continues 6 to 10 p.m. today and tomorrow, and then 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, in the Ithra Parking Lot No. 3.

Women and innovation on the agenda at GROW event

The advancement of women in the workplace and an exploration of what sparks innovation were the main focuses of an event held by the Gulf Region Organization for Women (GROW) in Dhahran.

The ceremony, which was held at the Plaza Conference Center on Nov. 9, hosted by the Diversity & Inclusion Division, featured several speakers who looked at the progress made on gender equality and what comes next.

“Not too long ago, we celebrated having the first four female pilots. We celebrated having the first female fire engineer,” said Faisal A. Al-Hajji, vice president of Human Resources. “We celebrated having the first sponsored female to go to the Far East as part of our CDPNE (College Degree Program for Non-Employees) program.” 

From 2016 to 2022, GROW has grown to a network of more than 100-member organizations within the Gulf Region, and aspires to continue featuring a platform for exchanging best practices about enabling women in different industry sectors.

New signs bring Dhahran’s ‘living classrooms’ to life

The Kingdom’s geological heritage is similarly impressive — the rocks, desert, and mountains are a backdrop to daily life. But few take the time for a closer look or appreciate this landscape beyond acknowledging the resources it holds.

This could be about to change, at least in the Dhahran community. New signs are being erected to help people better recognize and understand the geological formations in and around the conservation areas that are home to the jebels of Dhahran. 

The signs detail the stratigraphy (a branch of geology concerned with rock layers) of the region. They can be found at a number of jebels inside the Dhahran community. Each jebel is an exposure of the Rus formation — a significant part of Saudi Arabia’s geological heritage — which contributed to the Kingdom’s economic transformation through oil production.