Italy PM Meloni’s Bahrain Visit Spotlights ASRY and Roboze’s New 3D Printing Alliance

Bahrain is boosting its high-tech manufacturing, with Italy playing a key role. Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) and Italian 3D printing company Roboze signed a major partnership to build Bahrain’s first industrial facility dedicated to additive manufacturing (AM).

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, attended the signing. Meloni’s visit points to Italy’s goal of forming deeper industrial partnerships with Gulf nations.

This is also the first step toward integrating Bahrain into Roboze Advanced Manufacturing (RAM), the company’s global network of decentralized smart factories. Joining RAM gives Bahrain access to standardized, qualified production processes used around the world, making it easier to reproduce certified parts and support regional supply chains with consistent quality.

ASRY is already one of the Middle East’s most important maritime hubs. By integrating Roboze’s industrial 3D printing technology, the shipyard will be able to produce critical, high-performance components on-site rather than rely on slow, costly overseas suppliers.

The new center will focus on sectors where strong, lightweight parts are key, including marine and ship repair, oil and gas, energy, aerospace, and defense. In these industries, a single broken part can shut down an entire operation. By printing parts directly in Bahrain, ASRY and Roboze want to cut downtime, reduce logistics costs, and make spare parts management much more efficient.

The new facility, to be built inside ASRY’s compound, will bring together industrial 3D printing, high-performance polymers, composite manufacturing, and fully digital workflows. It is described as a modern production line where key parts can be designed, printed, and delivered quickly, using materials strong enough to replace metal in tough conditions.

ASRY CEO Ahmed AlAbri stated, “This partnership strengthens our MRO capabilities and expands access to advanced technical components that are essential to the industries we serve.”

Meanwhile, Roboze founder and CEO Alessio Lorusso explained the goal is to bring real, operational impact, not just technology for technology’s sake: “Working with ASRY allows us to introduce a concrete, operations-driven production model tailored to the needs of high-demand sectors, from marine repair to critical applications in energy and defense.”

Roboze’s technology has been officially recognized by Bahrain as a “Strategic Technology of Interest,” and the new center will introduce these high-performance materials and digital workflows directly into ASRY’s operations. For Bahrain, this move supports its plan to strengthen local production, develop new technical skills, and build faster, more reliable supply chains across key industries. It also aligns with Bahrain’s broader economic goals of localizing manufacturing and creating high-tech jobs, which are increasing priorities across Gulf states.

The project also builds on ASRY’s work in 2025, during which the shipyard has been expanding services for customers throughout the Gulf. The new technology supports this growth and helps make and repair key parts. ASRY also signed an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, reflecting Bahrain’s broader interest in advanced maritime and manufacturing technologies. According to ASRY’s leadership, these partnerships reinforce the shipyard’s global standing and support the ongoing modernization of its maritime sector.

For Italy, the partnership highlights how companies like Roboze are becoming part of major industrial programs abroad, opening the door to new collaborations and the adoption of technologies in strategic regions.