German nanotechnology investment company Nanostart announced on 20 October 2011 that one of its holdings, ItN Nanovation AG, had finalised a joint venture (JV) agreement with Saudi Arabian company Jaffali to produce ceramic flat membranes (CFMs) primarily for pretreatment for reverse-osmosis.
The next phase in the formation of the JV involves obtaining the necessary business license from the Saudi authorities in order to formalize the venture, which may be possible before the end of 2011.
The JV will trade under the name Saudi Water Nanovation LLC and will distribute CFM systems and corresponding accessories in the Middle East and North Africa region, and produce these locally at its own facilities in Saudi Arabia. The plan is for the JV to establish its own production facilities, which by 2014 should offer three times the capacity currently available to ItN Nanovation.
The JV will be ready to start production in 2013.