BIG 5: Clients still calling for quality

Tight budgets hve lead to greater competition

In spite of a global slowdown that has forced many in the construction and development industries to look for the lowest price options, the manufacturers and suppliers of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and MEP (mechanical, engineering and plumbing) solutions have claimed that developers and specifiers are not cutting corners on price.

And, speaking at this year’s Big 5 exhibition, companies specialising in these fields have also claimed that the slight tightening of buyers’ budgets has, in fact, led to a better and more competitive sector.

“There is certainly still a big market here in the Middle East and while it may not be as huge as it was a year ago, we do feel that it’s starting to grow again,” said Peter Klyver, marketing director for the Swedish Ostberg Group [1A17], which is dedicated to energy efficient ventilation systems, such as small heat recovery units and energy recovery wheels.

“Our main clients are hotels and, as everyone knows, this is the place to be for hotels,” Klyver added.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

“They’re not looking for the cheapest solutions but actually the right balance between quality and price. We’re a Swedish company and with that comes a certain reputation for quality – we’re not the cheapest but we’re certainly not the highest price either.”

Western Airducts’ [1D14] Tom Prideaux-Brune agreed that the search for the right price was not exactly destroying the industry.

“Our company manufactures grilles, diffusers and delivers air quality engineering. To be honest, many of these products are very similar across the board and, therefore, you do of course see a lot of clients that are looking only at the bottom line.”

However, according to Western Airducts, this had led to a push towards better levels of service. “Manufacturing has become a service industry, and we’ve been conscious of that in the UK and are now applying those principles here.

“Our company is not just about manufacturing but brings our expertise in logistics, handling, delivery and service to the table as well. Our prices are not the cheapest of cheap but they’re not the most expensive – with offices all over world, headed up by our UK head quarters, clients know that they can pick up the phone any time they have an issue.”