Saudi Arabia’s construction sector is reaping the benefits of a windfall in revenues brought about by the soaring oil prices, as a multitude of public and private projects flood the market.
Bahrain-based Paschal Concrete Forms Company – the regional office of German formwork specialist Paschal Werk G Maier – says that its formwork systems are currently being used to great success at the Wadi Hanifa restoration project in Riyadh, which was started some months ago.
Within a span of three years, Mammut Building Systems has established a strong foothold in the Saudi Arabian market, executing major projects in various parts of the kingdom, says area sales manager (Riyadh office), Ayman Refaat of the Dubai-based pre-engineered building systems (PBS) specialist.
Jeddah-based interior decoration specialist AlArabi Decoration and Construction Company – which has to its credit some of the most luxurious and prominent projects in Saudi Arabia as well as abroad – is gearing up for an upsurge in business, given the current construction boom in the kingdom.
For more than a decade, Dubai-based Geze Middle East has been serving the Saudi market with state-of-the-art system technologies for smart buildings. Geze ME is a major supplier for Geze German-manufactured door and window control systems.
Dammam-based Saudi Readymix Concrete Company (SRCC), which claims to be the largest readymixed concrete supplier in Saudi Arabia, is optimistic of a great year ahead, given the stronger market conditions that are fuelling the construction sector as well as the company’s ambitious growth plans.
Al Khobar-based Nassir Al Mulhim Consultant Engineers (NMCE) – a leading architectural engineering consultancy – is gearing up to handle a surge in business levels, given the boom in the Saudi construction and real estate investment fields.
Construction work is under way on the SR52 million ($13.86 million) Riyadh Cement Company (RCC) housing compound, which sits atop a quiet rocky hill located 90 km from Riyadh.
Construction teams are currently being mobilised in preparation to launch work on the Yanbu Airport expansion project. The newly-constituted General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) – which has been made an independent body and will operate on a commercial basis – has awarded the local Almabani General Contractors a SR188 million ($50.
Major expansion work is under way on the Eastern Province’s landmark Al Rashid Mall, which will make it the largest shopping complex in the kingdom, according to Al Rashid mall’s general manager Fouad Al Fakhri.
Negotiations are currently under way for a construction contract that is expected to be awarded shortly for the estimated SR48 million ($12.79 million) Millennium Centre, a prestigious commercial building with a post-modern architectural design set to take shape in Dammam.
The construction sector in Saudi Arabia accounts for 1.6 per cent of the total investment planned for the current Eighth Development Plan, amounting to SR16.4 billion during the 2005-2009 period.
Preliminary work is under way on the SR6 billion ($1.59 billion) Riyadh View, which is considered to be the first and largest residential project of its kind to be developed by the private sector in the kingdom.
Following the completion of dredging and reclamation on the SR1.5 billion ($400 million) Durrat Al Khobar, construction work is under way on the bridges that connect the various islands of this exclusive residential, tourist and recreational city taking shape in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The 1.
With the construction sector in the kingdom witnessing a boom in activity, capacity constraints have been hampering the growth of the Saudi cement sector. This is in spite of the fact that the eight major cement companies in the kingdom have embarked on capacity enhancement plans at an estimated investment of SR10 billion ($2.67 billion).
Saudi Arabia has been rapidly emerging as one of the world’s major iron and steel consuming countries. The kingdom’s first fully integrated steel producer Hadeed – a subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Company (Sabic) – went on production stream in 1983 at its Jubail facilities.
Saudi Scaffolding Factory (SSF) is preparing for new market challenges as it expands its operations across Saudi Arabia. The company was one of the first licensed scaffolding manufacturers and suppliers in Saudi Arabia and has continued to maintain its leading role in product design and service across the kingdom.
Caterpillar has awarded Saudi-based Zahid Tractor its five-star Contamination Control Initiative (CCI) award. Caterpillar vice-president Paolo Fellin recently led a Caterpillar delegation to Zahid’s facility for the presentation.
Dammam-based Sunpower – a leading steel fabricator that offers a range of storage solutions – is now looking forward to a positive year in business, eyeing some of the major projects that are poised to be launched later this year.
Modern Arab Construction Company Limited (MAC) – a pioneer Arab contractor in the field of oil, gas, power and desalination plants – has recently signed a cooperation agreement with Bonatti, a large Italian engineering and construction group, which is expected to considerably increase the former’s capacities in the market.
Riyadh-based leading distributor of construction, agricultural and industrial equipment Al Jomaih Equipment Company has recently introduced two product offerings from Japan’s TCM for the Saudi Arabia market: the Inoma forklifts and a range of skid-steer loaders.
Saudi Ceramic Company (SCC) reports continuing robust sales in the first quarter of 2006, following its 2005 financials that recorded total net sales of SR425 million ($113.3 million) and a net profit of SR83 million, up 28 per cent over the same period in 2004.
Saudi Arabia-based Alawami Planners and Consultants is set to expand further in the region with a network of offices in the Middle East, in a bid to capitalise on the construction boom in the region.
LG Electronics (LG) of Korea, one of the world’s top air-conditioner manufacturers and a leader in consumer electronics and mobile communications, recently announced the signing of a contract with H G Ibrahim Shaker Company Limited – the company’s Saudi Arabian partner – to establish the LG-Shaker Air Conditioning Company joint venture in R
Within the past six months, Saudi Arabian Ductile Iron Pipes Company Limited (Sadip), a member of the Amiantit Group, has secured orders for more than 2,000 km of ductile iron pipes to be supplied for water network projects in the Gulf.
Plastbau Arabia Company (PAL) is set to commission a plant for the manufacture of Plastbau Building Systems (PBS) in Dammam this month. The new facility will fabricate and supply Plastbau eDeck and eWall pre-engineered building systems for insulated concrete floor and wall applications, according to executive president Dr Mohammed Al Issa.
Dammam-based Guardian Industries Company – a leading manufacturer of modern security fences and auto access control systems – is looking at further expanding its reach in the Asian markets through expanding its product line.
Dammam-based Al Mohsin Trading and Fiberglass Establishment – one of the region’s leading manufacturers of high-quality fiberglass, acrylic and granite products – is aggressively promoting the use of superior-quality 5M fibreglass doors as an creative alternative to the traditional wooden and PVC doors.
On the back of a good year in business, Riyadh-based Raghadan Paint Company – one of the largest indigenous paint company in the GCC – has recently embarked on expansion plans that entail opening new facilities and appointing further agents and distributors in the region.
Having completed several projects in the kingdom, Al Khobar-based Ibrahim Asmael Establishment for General Contracting – leading heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and civil contractor – is looking forward to further boost its presence in the growing markets.
The use of polycarbonate sheet (PCS) products in Gulf construction projects has more than doubled over the past decade, becoming the most popular alternative to glass, claims the Saudi-based Rowad National Plastics Company.
Saudi Aerated Concrete Industries Company (Zamil-Acico) is gearing up to commission the first phase of its aerated blocks factory later this year. The new factory – which covers an area of 59,200 sq m in Jubail Industrial City – will be commissioned in October, says director Dr Abdulrazzak Al Samdan.
Through its world-class brand Telemecanique, a global power and control leader Schneider Electric has recently introduced new variable speed drives for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) market.
Riyadh-based Andal Group is looking forward to a further surge in business as a leading provider of superior quality works and supplies in the construction market, in view of the record growth levels that the roofing and waterproofing specialist has witnessed over the past year.
Al Rashed Building Materials (BMD), which has become a major building materials supplier in the Gulf’s construction sector, predicts a more volatile market in 2007 due to fluctuating global prices.
Saudi Arabia’s largest manufacturer of steel wires and wire-related products National Metal and Manufacturing and Casting Company based in Jubail is looking at enhancing its market position following a merger with two sister companies: Masabic, which operates a foundry plant, and axles maker Mahawer, both located at Dammam’s second industrial c
In a bid to keep pace with the surging demand for precast concrete in the fast-growing construction sector, Qanbar Dywidag Precast Concrete Company (QDC) has recently embarked on a series of expansion programmes that are designed to strengthen its position in the regional market.
Canam Asia Limited (CAL) reports a 100 per cent sales increase in the past year as a prelude to two new factories being commissioned in the UAE and Vietnam and new sales offices opening in Abu Dhabi and Doha, in addition to its current fully-staffed sales offices in Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai.
Groundwork is proceeding full steam ahead on the ambitious SR99.7 billion ($26.6 billion) King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) – the largest single private sector investment in Saudi Arabia – to the north of Jeddah. Site work is ongoing on the main access road as well as the excavation for the town centre’s marina and canal.
