Gulf Construction Online - Busy times ahead for Saudi Readymix

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Saudi Readymix’s on-site facilities in Khurais.

Busy times ahead for Saudi Readymix

Given the construction boom in the Gulf, Saudi Readymix predicts a ten-fold increase in the number of on-site batching plant being installed, as it elaborates on the systems it has in place to accommodate these trends.

01 November 2007

These are busy times for Saudi Readymix as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region’s largest market, too catches the construction fever already enveloping its GCC neighbours.

The Kingdom’s leading ready-mixed producer, Saudi Readymix expects demand for on-site plant to increase as much as ten-fold over the coming years.
The current boom has seen the rise of the ‘mega-project’, which has such enormous financial and physical requirements and an immense impact on communities that its processes and budgets far surpass those of conventional projects – and because of this, it presents a unique and formidable challenge to concrete suppliers everywhere.
An example of these special processes includes on-site concrete batching plant (or simply on-site plant), which is set up either on, or adjacent to, the project site itself for the sole purpose of supplying concrete to that particular development. After the project is completed, the on-site plant may then turn to supplying concrete to the surrounding areas or be dismantled and moved to another area.
Although erecting on-site plant involves a financial risk that many concrete suppliers simply do not want to undertake, it can have a tremendously positive overall impact on their image within the industry. This is because on-site plants demonstrate the tremendous trust that the contractor has in the concrete supplier, and this does wonders to the supplier's reputation within the industry.
Saudi Readymix is one of the few readymixed concrete suppliers that undertake the erection of on-site plant as part of its concreting solutions. Since its inception 30 years ago, the company has set up dozens of on-site plants to supply major infrastructure and development projects all over the kingdom, accumulating a wealth of experience and knowledge in operating such plant along the way.
When deciding whether or not to opt for an on-site batching plant during the planning stage of mega-projects, Saudi Readymix’s production and maintenance team closely analyses a special form already filled in by the customers specifying important requirements such as the duration of the project, estimated total volume, remoteness of project site, and other factors. Based on the information provided by the customer, the team studies the overall picture and recommends to the client the most cost-effective solution possible. Sometimes, the project can simply be supplied from nearby ‘permanent’ plants, and thus on-site plants are not necessary.
It is important to note that many of Saudi Readymix’s major clients such as Saudi Aramco regularly opt for on-site plant since they provide the project managers with better control over their concrete supply in terms of quality, delivery, supply, and availability of the concrete. This is important because such companies plan their projects using fast-track work schedules. Such clients usually already have an area at the site reserved for the erection of the plant.
After deciding that an on-site plant is the best solution, Saudi Readymix’s production and maintenance department dispatches a highly-skilled specialised team of six to eight individuals to the job site to erect it – hence its moniker ‘the erection team’.
The erection team comprises specially-trained individuals because the nature of its job calls for rigid safety precautions and meticulous procedures that must be followed during the erection and dismantling process. These teams include welders, industrial electricians, plant technicians, and several other skilled professionals.
In order to get the erection team members ready to perform this complicated job, Saudi Readymix has put in place a detailed and intensive in-house training programme that includes both theoretical and hands-on training. After the team completes their job, non-team members can take over the day-to-day operations of running the plant. As testimony to the effectiveness of the training programme, the central region’s erection team recently erected a full-fledged on-site plant, with all its ancillary equipment – chillers, stock bays, generators, and others – in just over three weeks, a process which normally requires six to eight weeks, which set a new company record.
The western region team has had a very busy year as the area is buzzing with activity. For example, Saudi Readymix has set up three on-site plant at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) project site. This mega project is a world-class multi-billion-dollar international research university and learning institution located in the Red Sea city of Rabigh, and considered to be one of the most prestigious and ambitious infrastructure and development projects in Saudi Arabia’s history. Each one of these batching plant has a capacity of around 120 cu m per hour enabling the company to deliver over 4,000 cu m of concrete a day calculated as per a normal work schedule.
As for the mobile fleet of mixer trucks and mobile pumps, Saudi Readymix can divert the needed amount of truck mixers from a neighbouring plant with low utilisation or – in the case of projects of the scale of KAUST – new equipment can be ordered. So far, the company has set aside 30 mixer trucks and six mobile pumps to the project.
As for the future of on-site batching plant in the Kingdom, Saudi Readymix foresees demand rising steadily with four or five plant being set up every year for the coming few years. Compare that with just one plant erected every two or three years for the past 25 years or so. To illustrate this point, Saudi Readymix is in the planning phase of setting up on-site plant for the Ma’aden Ras Al-Zour multi-billion-dollar developments and Azmeel's massive seamless pipe project in the Eastern region alone, with possibly more projects coming in the pipeline. These two plants are planned to begin production by early 2008. Overall, the company expects to erect around five on-site plants in total for next year.
These are busy times indeed.