Top 10 genset manufacturers and distributors

Power Generator from Action
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From cranes and diggers to hand-tools and portacabins, we will always need to put power in our projects. Here are ten companies you should know about when buying or renting generators.

1 Action
Action’s fleet of power generators vary according to the size of project and power required. The biggest demand from the company at the moment is units between 500KVA and 1250KVA.

Some of these products run separately, while others are connected to each other creating a small power station. Currently, the majority of Action’s business comes out of Dubai but the company is serving Abu Dhabi from its office and yard in Mafraq.

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2 Aggreko
Aggreko can supply generators from 15KVA to 2000KVA in single units, as well as multi-megawatt packages using 1250KVA units, which are linked together. Smaller sets are used to power portacabins, piling machines and hand tools, while construction cranes are usually powered by 250 or 320KVA generators.

Large-scale construction projects often require multi-megawatt power packages, which are used to power labour camps and temporary accommodation for construction workers. Aggreko provided 32MVA of rental power to support 25,000 labour camps on Yas Island.

Unlike its competitors, Aggreko does not sell equipment. Instead, it provides customers with power packages, including engineering and design to commissioning and operation. The company has a network of ten locations in six countries - Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

3 Atlas Copco
Altas Copco provides portable and stationary generators. Lately, the company has seen an increased activity in the larger 500KVA to 1000KVA power nodes, due to power shortfalls in some urban areas, but is still connected to contractors who require 20KVA to 275KVA ranges.

The company works with contractors in the UAE and Oman but, due to its size, Saudi Arabia has been Atlas Copco’s most prominent market. Its goal is to balance market penetration in the region through direct operations and localised dealers.

The company believes that there is a trend towards buying over renting, as only 25% to 30% of generators sold go to rental companies. But, it expects to see expansion of local and international rental companies emerging in the market.

4 Caterpillar
Caterpillar provides gas-powerd generator sets from 9KW to 600KW and diesel-powered generator sets from 7KW to 16,200KW.

It supplies these products to five GCC countries for which Al Bahar, a machinery and trading group in the Middle East, has the Caterpillar dealership. Caterpillar has different models to cater the needs of the industry and for varied project requirements.

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5 Cummins
Cummins is an international company that designs and manufacturers power generation equipment. Generally, the company offers gensets between 15KVA and 500KVA. The 250KVA to 500KVA range is used during construction for powering offices, cranes and other miscellaneous construction requirements.

Generators ranging from 500KVA to 3000KVA are used for permanent installations as back-up power to local utilities companies in most buildings. The major business for Cummins Middle East comes from Dubai, UAE.

But the company has seen growth in business activity in Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Most construction work and activities last for two to three years; therefore Cummins believes that contractors prefer to rent generators for specific projects instead of owning the equipment and continuously moving it to new project locations where they incur hefty logistic costs.