Bell racing helmets to hire more locals

Manama

Stephane Cohen, Chairman of Bell Racing Helmets International, expressed confidence in the Kingdom as a hub of strategic importance to target global market.

He was answering questions from DT News on the wake of its recent agreement with Tamkeen to work towards providing more jobs for Bahrainis.  The grant, spread over five years, has the aim of generating 50 more jobs for Bahrainis among other objectives.

Regarding the future hiring process, the Chairman of the company said,“Before all, our technicians and employees have to adhere to our core values such as Passion, Determination, Consistency, Respect and Innovation. We are hiring and training all types of technicians: composite laminators, sanders, painters, sewing, printing, etc. as well as junior engineers, lab technicians, graphic designer, social media coordinator, administrative employees, etc. More than the qualification, it’s the attitude that matters most to get a job at Bell Racing.”

 The company will target global market from Bahrain either directly or indirectly through Bell Racing Europe and Bell Racing USA.

Cohen had said during the signing of the agreement that “Bell Auto Racing Helmets is pleased to sign this agreement with Tamkeen to expand our operations. Our studies have indicated that due to a number of factors, Bahrain constitutes an excellent and the strategic location to market and produce our products, which require high precision in manufacturing and very specific international standards.”

 Elaborating on this, he added that “Reasonable labour costs, easiness of recruiting English speaking workers, energy cost, government support through Tamkeen or BDB agreement, location close to an F1 racetrack and support from BIC, business friendly environment (“red carpet” feeling compared to “red tape” feeling previously in China)” are the factors that favoured Bahrain as an investment destination.

In 2014, the company had announced that it will shift its production and staff from Belgium, Italy and China to Bahrain. Bell supplies helmets for many of the world's leading drivers, including F1 stars.

 The company will, on an immediate basis, start increasing the headcount and will focus on recruiting Bahrainis technicians and employees, he added.