Octal inspires Salalah College of Technology students with its innovative and technology driven approach to power business growth

OCTAL, the world’s largest producer of PET resin and sheet on a single site, was recently invited to present the company’s effective deployment of SAP R/3 networking systems to IT teachers and students at Salalah College of Technology (SCT). Greeted by an overwhelming response, the college is now keen to incorporate OCTAL’s expertise into the curriculum as an ongoing case study to supplement the students’ coursework. 

Vinod Vidya Sagar, OCTAL’s Head of IT Applications, delivered the presentation. He explained, “At OCTAL we have created an efficient matrix to integrate sales orders within the production and accounting departments for streamlined processing in order to increase our competitive edge. As the company continues to grow and make significant strides in both local and international markets, we had to create a secure, reliable, and scalable system to log orders and maintain high visibility across the whole supply chain. Using SAP R/3 has enabled us to integrate the entire operation under a single process that deals with different languages and currencies while securely storing our customer information to drive business growth.” 

Mr. Sagar added, “The invitation from SCT provided us with a firsthand opportunity to offer students practical and technical insight on the theory they study in the classroom. As OCTAL becomes a case study for future students to examine, we hope to strengthen our partnership with SCT that has already proved beneficial to both parties.” 

Dr. Maryam Al-Awadi, Dean of SCT said, "OCTAL offered our students a unique understanding of a real world scenario in subjects they are studying. They illustrated the operational complexities and key considerations required for successful large-scale networking. We hope to expand upon this enriching experience in our curriculum going forward and utilize OCTAL’s specialist knowledge and staff to guide students to become highly-skilled graduates who are equipped with the motivation to reach their full potential and contribute to Oman’s ongoing economic development.” 

As one of Salalah’s foremost corporate social responsibility leaders, OCTAL is a driving force in the Dhofar Governorate. In collaboration with Salalah College of Technology and the Ministry of Manpower, OCTAL became the first company in Oman in its field to organize a pilot program for the specialized technical training of talented Omani graduates. The ongoing long-term partnership with SCT, and other schools and colleges across the country, has seen OCTAL welcome engineering students and graduates from other fields into the company’s specialized training programs that will lead in them taking up roles within every department of the company. The company, in addition to its contributions towards preserving the environment and giving back to the community, remains steadfast in its commitment to creating opportunities and cultivating promising local talent in line with His Majesty’s Vision to develop a highly-qualified Omani workforce.