PMV Middle East presents the top plant, machinery and vehicle deals announced in the Gulf in the first half of 2017.
1. Saudi Public Transport Company orders 600 Mercedes Benz Citaro buses in Riyadh
The Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) placed an order for 400 Mercedes Benz Citaro G and 200 Mercedes Benz Citaro Solo buses in May as part of its joint venture with French transport operator RATP Dev to deliver a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Riyadh.
For Daimler Buses, the purchase represents the largest single order of Mercedes Benz Citaro city buses in the history of the brand, and will be processed by the Daimler Commercial Vehicle Middle East and North Africa regional headquarters in Dubai.
The vehicles are to be deployed in the Saudi capital from as early as 2018, when the initial batch of around 200 Mercedes Benz Citaro G and Mercedes Benz Citaro Solo buses will be handed over to the SAPTCO and RATP.
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2. Al Khaldi signs order for 540 Mercedes-Benz trucks in Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Dammam’s Al Khaldi Transport Group signed an order on 23 March for a combination of 540 heavy- and medium- duty Mercedes-Benz trucks for operation in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
The massive order came in spite of the widespread slowdown in the heavy commercial vehicles segment in Saudi Arabia, where many manufacturers have seen sales fall be a factor of ten.
Straddling three Mercedes-Benz product lines, the order includes heavy-duty Actros trucks, and medium-duty Atego and Accelo models – all with a full service and maintenance contract.
With the deal, the Al Khaldi Transport Group will increase their total fleet of Mercedes-Benz trucks to approximately 1,045 units.
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3. Al-Osais purchases 250 Volvo FH and FMX trucks in Dammam, Saudi Arabia
In June, the Dammam, Saudi Arabia-based Al-Osais International Holding purchased a mixed fleet of 250 Volvo FH and FMX trucks from Zahid Tractor in another surprisingly large-scale order given the slowdown at the time in heavy commercial vehicle sales in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Osais reported that that the most important factors in deciding to work with Zahid Tractor were the dealer’s professionalism and its aftersales service standards, as well as the range of Volvo trucks, and their reputation for safety and reliability.
The handover of one of the first FH trucks took place in May, and was attended by Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks; Nasser Bayram, president for transport at the Zahid Group; and Sheikh Ali Al-Osais, chairman of Al-Osais International Holding.
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4. Saudi transport operator orders 242 MAN Lion’s City buses for Riyadh
The Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) also placed an order for 242 MAN Lion’s City M city buses in May as part of its collaboration with the French public transport company RATP Dev to overhaul public transport in the Kingdom’s capital.
The 242 low-floor MAN Lion’s City M city buses will be 10.5m long, have 29 passenger seats and be powered by Euro 5 emissions stage engines with 290HP or 213kW outputs.
Haji Husein Alireza & Co. (HHA), the distributor for MAN Truck & Bus in Saudi Arabia, managed the tender process and will carry out the delivery of the MAN Lion’s City M buses during 2018 and 2019.
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5. Dubai’s RSS Rental Solutions & Services buys 300 JCB gensets in $11m deal
Dubai-based Rental Solutions & Services (RSS) purchased more than 300 generator sets in March from UK-headquartered equipment manufacturer, JCB Power Products.
The $11m (AED40.4m) order is the largest yet for JCB’s RS range of gensets, which are designed for the rental sector and have outputs ranging from 60kVA to 500kVA.
In conjunction with authorised JCB dealer, Muscat Overseas Group, RSS’s first five units had already been dispatched to support for an oil and gas company in Oman at the time of the announcement, and the other units will be deployed across Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
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6. Emirates Motor Company delivers 50 Mercedes-Benz trucks to Transgulf Readymix
Emirates Motor Company (EMC) delivered 50 Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks to Abu Dhabi-based Transgulf Readymix in May in what is believed to be one of the largest deals of its kind in the UAE.
The 50 Actros 4440 8×4 vehicles were fitted with Leibherr 12m3 mixers and are part of a major capacity boost by Transgulf – which is already one of the region’s largest ready mix firms – as it looks to expand its business in the region.
EMC, the Mercedes-Benz distributor for Abu Dhabi and and Al Fahim Group company, supplied the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles with five years’ extended warranty, repair and maintenance.
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7. Sarens Nass Middle East orders 15 Demag all-terrain cranes in Bahrain
Bahrain-based Sarens Nass Middle East made an order for 15 five-axle Demag AC-130-5 all-terrain cranes in March – purchasing some of the first Demag machines made by Terex since the manufacturer resurrected the brand of all-terrain cranes at Bauma 2016.
The Demag AC 130-5 all-terrain cranes ordered by Sarens Nass are also among the most compact units in the 130-tonne capacity class, with a total length of 14.3m and a carrier width of 2.75m.
The units come with a standard 60m-long main boom and can reach a maximum system length of 86.5m with additional main boom extensions.
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8. Emirates Motor Company delivers 27 Zetros trucks to Suhail Al Mazroui
Emirates Motor Company (EMC), the distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Abu Dhabi, delivered 27 Mercedes-Benz Zetros 6×6 tractor-head trucks to Suhail Al Mazroui Transportation and Heavy Equipment Establishment in April.
The 27 Mercedes-Benz Zetros 3643 AS come with a powerful 12-litre six-cylinder engine sporting 428 HP and supporting a gross combination weight (GCW) of 116 tonnes.
One of the trucks in the deal is the 5,555th Zetros ever produced, and the deal was presided over by senior representatives from both Daimler local and international commercial vehicles teams.
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9. Kuwait’s Integrated Logistics Company purchases 12 Demag cranes
Kuwait-based Integrated Logistics Company signed an order for 12 Demag cranes, including two AC 130-5, four AC 160-5 and six AC 300-6 all-terrain cranes, from Terex Cranes in April.
Salah Al Huwaidi, CEO at Integrated Logistics, said the company selected the Demag models for their best-in-class boom lengths and interchangeable components.
“Besides being impressed with the product line, we’ve always received fast, reliable service from Terex Cranes — they really go above and beyond for us,” he added.
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10. RAK port orders the largest bulk handling cranes in Middle East
Ras Al Khaimah’s Saqr Port Authority signed an order in May for two Liebherr LHM 800 mobile harbour cranes configured for the bulk handling of up to 144 tonnes of material at a time.
These two machines will be the biggest mobile harbour cranes for bulk operation in the Middle East upon delivery in 2018, and come with 54m booms, hydrostatic transmissions and Liebherr’s Pactronic hydraulic hybrid drive system.
The Pactronic system uses an accumulator as a secondary energy source by allowing the crane to regenerate and store power when lowering load, and delivering power equivalent to a crane with a larger or secondary prime mover.
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Further afield: Scania signs Iran deals for 1,350 buses in Isfahan
Scania has signed two MoU agreements with Iranian investment company Shahr-e Atiyeh for the delivery of 1,350 public transport buses for Isfahan, 450km south of Tehran, and four other Iranian cities within the province of Isfahan.
There is an urgent need in Iran to expand and renew public bus systems, particularly with a view to reducing harmful automotive emissions, and the Scania buses will be equipped with engine technology that offer the lowest emissions levels in the country.
Scania has a significant presence in Iran, and the country is one of OEM’s top 10 bus markets. Oghab Afshan has been Scania’s partner for buses in Iran since 2000 and also employs close to 1,100 people in its Scania operations, including 860 workers in a bus factory.
The first of these new buses will be in operation at the end of 2017.
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