Gulf Construction Online - KRB caters to metro’s readymix requirements

Riyadh Metro

KRB has 40 batching plants and a fleet of 1,000 vehicles.

KRB caters to metro’s readymix requirements

01 March 2019

Al Kifah Ready-mix and Blocks (KRB) is playing a key role on the Riyadh Metro project by supplying high-performance concrete used on various aspects of the development, right from the piling works to the construction of superstructural elements.

The company, which is a major producer of readymix in Saudi Arabia, has supplied more than 250,000 cu m of readymix for the massive development.

KRB, which is currently supplying to the project, began deliveries of the readymix concrete in 2016. “The supply is in the final stages and it could be a few more months before the last quantities are delivered,” says Eng Saleh Al Katheer, the company’s CEO tells Gulf Construction.

Commenting on the challenges involved in carrying out the project, Al Katheer says the main challenge was the piles as the requirement here was for a high-slump concrete with super strength and low rapid chloride permeability.

KRB can produce 120,000 blocks per day.

“However, this challenging project provided us with huge technical exposure. It forced us and our competitors to focus on the development of our products to meet the requirements,” he adds.

Apart from the Riyadh Metro, KRB has supplied huge volumes of concrete to Saudi Aramco projects, including the Manifah project for supplies worth SR100 million and the Fadihili project worth SR75 million.

Other key projects it has supplied to include the Haramain High-Speed Railway in the Western Province; Jeddah stormwater drainage programme Phase One; key road projects such as the intersection of Prince Majed Road with Abdullah Al Sulaiman Street and Bakhashab Street (bridge and tunnel) and the intersection of Prince Muhammed Bin Abdulaziz with Al Makarunah Street (tunnel) in Jeddah; as well as National Guard Housing and Ministry of Defence Housing Complex in Dammam.

Al Katheer looks at the metro construction market to be a highly buoyant sector for the upcoming 10 years, at least, especially in major cities that are looking to be mega cities like Riyadh and Dubai.

Overall, he says, the construction market is still recovering after it suffered a major slowdown in 2017-18 due to a slump in the overall economy in the GCC, and hopes that by 2020 things will be back to normal.

Business for KRB, which is headquartered in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, has been good and the company is now focusing on research and development (R&D) to differentiate itself from the market and to lead by innovation and quality.

“We are happy to announce that we are the first company in Saudi Arabia to introduce green concrete and the first also to use volumetric units in projects,” says Al Katheer.

Established in 1977, Al Kifah Readymix and Blocks (KRB) has been a key contributor to the development of Saudi Arabia’s construction sector for the past 40 years. It is a leader in the Eastern Province that has grown from a single factory to more than 27 branches and almost 40 batching plants in nine main cities across the kingdom.

KRB has a production capacity of more than 3,500 cu m per hour of readymix and more than 120,000 blocks per day, with a team of more than 1,500 employees and a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles.

KRB believes in a customer-focused approach by providing consistent-quality readymix solutions that are reliable and effective.

“We believe in delivering added value to our clients through customer care and effective technical support, which results in a win-win situation for all,” Al Katheer concludes.