Gulf Construction Online - Rexel IPG supports Chinese EPC firms

Regional News

Rexel IPG supports Chinese EPC firms

01 November 2016

Rexel IPG, part of the Rexel Group, says it has been helping Chinese engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies to establish a foothold in the region by providing them with knowledge of the Middle East market.

John Kaznowski, regional director for Rexel IPG in the Middle East, said that the expertise of Chinese EPC firms has not been as well recognised as that of their counterparts in other countries, but this is slowly changing. Chinese companies are being invited to pitch for EPC contracts in the Middle East and they are winning them, he pointed out.

The Rexel IPG team in the Middle East is working with Chinese EPC firms locally, including on a mining project in Saudi Arabia and an oil and gas project in Abu Dhabi, and hopes to continue to grow their customer base especially on industrial and commercial projects.

In China, Rexel IPG’s offices in Beijing and Shanghai are working closely with major Chinese EPC contractors, particularly on projects outside of China.

“There are a number of projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in which Chinese EPC firms are heavily involved, particularly in the upstream, midstream and downstream of the oil industry and mining. We are currently bidding for one such project in Abu Dhabi and another in Saudi Arabia,” said Kaznowski.

“We are also seeing Chinese EPC firms increasing their presence in the other GCC countries as well as Iran,” he added.

Rexel IPG was created as a dedicated platform to offer a full range of specialised services and solutions for large capital electrical projects, and has been working with industrial companies and global – including Chinese – EPC contractors in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific for more than 10 years.

With a proven track record of managing electrical material for large capital projects across the globe, Rexel IPG’s industry know-how has helped to deliver project construction and management efficiency, quality and performance, and reduced total cost of ownership for customers in the Middle East.

The company sources the full range of low and medium-voltage electrical products, from electrical bulk to cable and engineered equipment.

Kaznowski explained that as a business unit within the Rexel Group, the Rexel IPG team can source products from across the globe.

“We also look to source product within the local market to ensure we provide in-country value, all with the aim of having product at or close to the construction site,” he said.

Rexel IPG’s local procurement knowledge would also be of value to Chinese EPC firms starting out in the region, he said.

“Rexel IPG supports its customers throughout their project lifecycle. Working with the customers’ engineering teams, we can help to build their required electrical solution, before sourcing products from a complete range of global, local and niche electrical vendors to minimise the cost of material. Rexel IPG has delivered more than 20 per cent savings on electrical material for individual projects,” he stressed.

Kaznowski added that some of the biggest savings have been made by optimising cable management.

“Rexel IPG can help EPCs avoid material wastage and help with their cashflow by scrupulously overseeing material management to ensure it is delivered when it is needed,” Kaznowski said, adding that it also offers assistance with all aspects of the supply chain.

Rexel IPG is exhibiting at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), which will be held in the UAE capital this month (November 7 to 10), at Stand 13698 in Hall 13.