Rajesh Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director of Ion Exchange, also commented on the announcement: "Ion Exchange has successfully executed globally tendered projects and exported plants to the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia, to the stringent requirements of customers, consultants and EPC contractors. It has made it presence felt in Europe and the USA with export of resins and water treatment chemicals.

"The launch of the new Bahrain facility is part of our wider strategy to ensure proximity to our GCC and North Arab market. Bahrain is located at the heart of the Gulf market with excellent transport and logistics connections throughout the region. We are expanding to meet the GCC's rising demand for water treatment products and services and are excited to work closely with organisations like the EDB to ensure our success."

Ion Exchange joins a number of other Indian companies that have recently expanded operations in Bahrain as a means of serving growth in the Middle East region. These include manufacturing firm Electrosteel, whose new US$6.6 million warehouse will act as the sales and distributions hub for the region, and Synergies Castings Limited, who are establishing an aluminium casting and specialty alloy wheel manufacturing facility in Bahrain.

India and Bahrain enjoy close economic relations with trade between the two nations reaching $674 million in 2015. More than 350,000 Indian nationals are currently living in Bahrain.

The Bahrain EDB has offices based at the Bahrain Embassy in Delhi and the Bahrain Consulate in Mumbai that provide information and support to interested investors in the South Asia region.

Investors looking for more information about Bahrain can visit www.bahrain.com