Gulf Construction Online - QDC sees good prospects

Saudi Arabia

QDC has completed numerous housing projects in the kingdom.

QDC sees good prospects

01 May 2017

Despite the slowdown in the Saudi construction industry, Qanbar Dywidag Precast Concrete Company (QDC) is optimistic that the precast sector will gain momentum this year as the demand for housing projects and private compounds surges.

“There has been a drop in the construction market and this has affected the precast sector; for instance, major clients such as the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu have slowed down or delayed some projects,” Mohamed Abdullah, the company’s sales manager, tells
Gulf Construction.

“However, we are optimistic of getting a good share of work this year on Sabic’s (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) Mutrafiah housing project in Jubail, in addition to a share in development projects for Saudi Aramco in Fadhili and other locations as well as other clients,” he adds.

Saudi-based QDC designs, produces, delivers and installs all types of precast and prestressed concrete products, including standard elements and products such as paving and interlocking tiles, manholes, seating, external claddings panels, hollow-core slabs, double-tee slabs, precast domes, prestressed long-span girders, wall frames, beams and columns, and boundary walls.

QDC’s current order book includes an array of residential and industrial projects for some of the most prestigious clients in the kingdom. These include several contracts on Saudi Aramco’s key projects such as the Fadhili gas plant, where it is supplying precast buildings to Tecnicas Reunidas (TR) worth SR52 million ($13.86 million) and carrying out installation work under a deal valued at SR6 million ($1.6 million) with contractor Nesma. It has also secured an order from Petrofac for precast components for the Fadhili gas plant’s sulphur recovery project.

In addition, QDC is working on a contract from Petrofac on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery and marine terminal
project.

The precast manufacturer has been engaged to provide precast concrete products by the contractors on a number of packages on the oil conglomerate’s Dhahran Community Residential Project, which are nearing completion. Package Four of this project involves 240 housing units, Package Five features 380 units and Package Seven comprises 13 buildings that include family apartments and bachelor accommodation buildings, which are being undertaken by China Railway, Arabtec and Khonaini, respectively.

QDC has supplied its systems to some of the most prestigious clients in the kingdom.

Other Saudi Aramco projects include substations in Ras Tanura being built by Kentz and Naizak; and a residential project comprising 80 villas at Ras Tanura being undertaken by Khonaini.

QDC recently completed a family compound project at Thuwal for the National Guard, which consists of 500 villas. It was completed with Azmeel Contracting Company for Saudi Aramco and was valued at SR300 million ($80 million).

Another key client is the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. QDC’s products are being used in the construction of the Royal Commission’s men’s academic building in Jubail under a subcontract from Project Build Company; while its full-frame precast components have been installed for housing units (C-71) under a subcontract from Azmeel Contracting.

Among other projects in the residential sector, QDC is involved in supplying precast elements for 655 villas at Phase Four of Sabic’s Al Mutrafiyah housing project in Jubail under a SR200-million ($53 million) contract from Azmeel Contracting.

Meanwhile in the infrastructural sector, QDC has been involved in two major projects in the Western Province – the Haramain High-Speed Railway project with Inabensa Company, and a water transmission project for Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) with Sinopec.

Located in Jubail Industrial City, QDC was established in 1981 as a partnership between Al Ansari Holding Company (Abdul Razzaq Mohammed Qanbar Al Ansari and Sons), a leading business conglomerate in the Eastern Province, and Dycherhoff and Widmann (Dywidag), one of the largest German general contractors and precast concrete manufacturers. In January 2002, Al Ansari Holding became the sole owner of QDC with Dywidag remaining as a technical partner.

The company has two factories in Jubail and one at Rabigh, with a combined production capacity of more than 5 million sq m per year. These facilities are regularly upgraded to ensure they meet the growing demand as well as add value to the company’s products. QDC has set up a sales office in Jeddah to cater to demand in the region and is currently looking at boosting its sales staff in Jeddah, Riyadh, Jubail and Dammam.

QDC is also a joint venture partner in Qatar International Precast (QIP) in Doha, Qatar, which produces a full line of precast and prestressed concrete products for the country’s rapidly expanding building construction and infrastructure market in anticipation of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.