The major projects that will be pushing demand for equipment over the coming 12 months are all based in Saudi Arabia, said Kanoo Machinery’s GCC GM Robert Jennings.
His comments came in an interview with Intermat Middle East organisers. The construction and infrastructure machinery expo takes place in Abu Dhabi, 8-10 October.
“The projects I see as most significant are all based in Saudi Arabia,” said Jennings.
“They are: Riyadh Metro; Jeddah to Medina High Speed Rail; King Abdulla Financial District, Riyadh; Jizan and KAEC Ports; and the new housing projects.”
Demand is currently very high in Saudi Arabia for concrete, and Kanoo will be introducing new kit to target this sector of the market.
“Designed specifically for concrete batching plants, we will soon be introducing truck mounted mixers and pumps,” said Jennings.
On a positive note for the company, he noted that the low Euro value compared to the Japanese Yen is helping them to maintain competitive pricing against Japanese manufacturers.
“However, on the negative sire we are starting to experience delivery delays and longer lead times from some of the Western manufacturers.
“This seems to be due to supply chain issues. The general trend tends to suggest that many downstream suppliers have not yet geared up to support a significant growth cycle coming from outside Europe and the USA.”
Jennings said that Kanoo Machinery is looking to the advantages of the regional Intermat Middle East show.
“We are closer to our customer base which makes it more convenient for both existing and prospective clients to visit us. The regional shows allow us to focus on regional markets, projects and applications.”
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