The focus of the world today is to come up with innovative idea to substitute the use of natural materials with high quality alternatives equal in efficiency, yet eco-friendly. In Oman, the attempts in this field never stops and the companies, either the growing and the large ones, are introducing new products in different fields. The demand of rubber around the world is growing, putting into danger other creatures. An Omani growing company from Shinas University of Technology and Applied Sciences created an environmentally friendly product that exploits organic waste, collecting it and converting it into natural organic rubber.
The project aims to provide rubber to factories that use it as a main ingredient in their industries to reduce the dependence on endangered natural rubber as well as synthetic rubber, which contains a large proportion of harmful petroleum materials to the environment.
The product instead is rubber paste that can be used in various industries such as car tires, stadium floors, medical instruments and other products.
Khalifa Al Muqbali, a member at the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Shinas, said “The department aims to educate the target audience with the importance of entrepreneurship by presenting the successful experiences of student companies and identifying the size of support given by the concerned authorities. It also works to direct the attention and interest of students to the right path. We carry out some workshops and seminars, camps and consultations that are suitable for each project.
The appropriate logistical support that the company (Rabal) may get will surely help it participate in a variety of local and external competitions. It will also help build ideas, and invest on the method that turns the pioneering idea into a pioneering business, allowing students to use their knowledge, skills to integrate into the labor market with broad community support”, al Muqbali explained.
He indicated that they worked with a group of qualified experts in the field of entrepreneurship in order to discover a generation capable of managing successful future projects that contribute to strengthening the national economy.
Rawan Al Balushi, a member, said: This project contributes to opening new horizons for local and international markets in the manufacture of environmentally friendly rubber in large quantities and at prices suitable for markets.
“there were many challenges that the team faced, including difficulty in obtaining raw materials, in addition to the lack of laboratories to provide a workspace for the product's experiments, and the lack of financial resources and technical capabilities such as devices and tools that we need”, she added.
Ali Al Saidi explained that the team developed a long-term plan to ensure the company’s continuity and productivity. “We aspire to be the first leading Omani company in the field of manufacturing and exporting natural rubber with high efficiency at the local and international levels. We wish to hit the field of manufacturing rubber-infused products”, he hopes.
It is noteworthy that the innovative team consisting of nine students who, with this experience, gained the ability to develop ideas, work, design in a better and feasible way. They also learned how to bear responsibility and to invest on positive thinking. The opportunity helped them to enhance their self-confidence by engaging in discussions with experts in this field and benefiting from of innovative minds.
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