Delta Emirates Contracting is set to become the first firm in the Middle East to purchase an SDLG backhoe loader.
The UAE-headquartered firm, which is currently acting as the main contractor at Dubai’s Living Legends development, tested the machine for a five-day period earlier in the year.
Impressed by the B877’s performance, the contractor is now in negotiations with Pacific Machinery, SDLG’s authorised Emirati distributor, to purchase the demonstration unit second hand.
“During our trial of the SDLG B877, we used the machine to dig manholes and make room for infrastructure, including the site’s water and electricity supplies,” said the contractor’s logistics manager, Sami Elsisi.
“It was quite a small trial; just five working days. This is the first time that I have used an SDLG machine, and it performed well.
“We’re interested in purchasing the trial unit. Already, I have been in contact with my head office and I have requested that we make an offer for the machine. We’re currently working out the final price with Pacific Machinery,” he revealed.
If a deal is agreed, Delta Emirates will become the first contractor in the Middle East to purchase an SDLG B877. The backhoe loader’s introduction to the region is taking place as part of the Chinese manufacturer’s broader strategy to roll out its full range of equipment across the GCC before the end of 2015. In conjunction with its local partners, SDLG also plans to add motor graders and excavators to its regional line-up before the end of the year.
Elsisi and his colleagues were amongst the first in the region to get hands-on time with the B877. Up to now, the trial unit is the only model in the Middle East. However, Gasser Gamil, sales engineer at Pacific Machinery, is confident that the demonstration machine will soon become a permanent member of the Delta Emirates fleet.
“Up to now, it’s looking very good,” he told PMV. “Elsisi has been negotiating with his company’s finance manager and machinery manager. Pacific Machinery has come up with a quotation, so it’s just a matter of ironing out the final details,” Gamil concluded.
For further details of the SLDG B877 backhoe loader, including interviews with Delta Emirates Contracting, Pacific Machinery, and SDLG, check out the March 2015 issue of PMV Middle East.
