Gulf Construction Online

Bahrain Review

Test

01 January 2013

India-based Visaka Industries, a new entrant into the Saudi market, is planning to intensify its efforts at penetrating the market through extensive marketing techniques aimed at securing it a firm foothold in the region.
Visaka - which manufactures fibre cement board, sandwich panels, yarn and corrugated roofing sheets - is currently supplying to Saudi Company for Prefabricated Buildings in Riyadh and Hesham S S Subahi Projects for their portable cabin manufacturing units.

The company began its forays into the export arena just two years ago and entered the Saudi market one year ago.

“So far we haven’t won any big project but we have regularly supplied to Dar Al Hani Trading in Jeddah, Red Horizon Trading in Riyadh and Qatar International Trading in Dammam,” manager exports Mohammed Abdul Khader says.

However, positive growth in Saudi Arabia is what is encouraging Visaka to strive. “We are optimistic about the Saudi market which is growing with a balanced pace by wise governance of King Abdullah. The major projects in the kingdom including Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, the new KAIA international airport in Jeddah, universities and medical cities are going to be a major boost to the business in Saudi Arabia,” says Abdul Khader.

The company is looking forward to a 25 per cent growth in Saudi market as well as in other GCC countries.

“Ours is a growth oriented company with a vision to diversification and expansion,” he says.

Back home in India, Visaka Industries has added one more fiber cement board factory in Pune for export purpose. It is also diversifying into high-end fibre cement boards for various applications.

In addition, it is foraying into the power generation sector and is looking into other areas for expansion.

Located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Visaka has 10 manufacturing plants spread across India. The company employs around 3,200 people in addition to contractor employees. The annual turnover of the company is $186 million.

Visaka Industries was instituted by Dr G Vivekanand in 1981 to manufacture corrugated roofing sheets. It later diversified into fibre cement board and yarn. The company’s corporate office is in Hyderabad, India with a number of regional offices located in all major cities of India. It also has a small sales office in Sri Lanka.

Print media advertisement, project specifications, seminars, etc are some of the methods that will be employed, says a company official.