Road building kit makers set sights on MENA

Infrastructure projects in the region are providing a lifeline for international equipment manufacturers

International firms manufacturing road building equipment are looking to the GCC and its many ongoing infrastructure works as a way to shore up sales while the rest of the world puts such projects on hold.

“We’ve sold quite a few in Morocco and Algeria, but I really want this market” explained Antonio Alvarez from Mexican asphalt process equipment firm Triaso. “This is one of the countries that is still kind of thriving, from an infrastructure and roads point of view.” The drop off in business through the Americas has been harsh through the recession, according to Alvarez. “To give you some idea, we were selling eight of these per month last year, and that dropped back to three.”

Local businessman Waiel Manafaluti agreed, saying “Many of the countries in the region need modification and improvement to the infrastructure whether it is roads, bridges or power supply and railways. All those infrastructure projects will soon be released, and some, as we are all aware, are already being built, notably the projects in Saudi Arabia.”

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Manafaluti is the general manager of Dubai-based machinery company House of Equipment, which is looking forward to taking advantage of the roadlaying boom. “It’s is a line which we are now exploring – asphalt equipment and paving equipment.” Manafaluti said. “We have signed a deal with Rapid International who specialise in mobile batching plant and fully mobile stabilization plant, which will be exhibited for the first time at the upcoming Saudi PMV exhibition in Jeddah. It is a highly reputed brand, and of course being made in Northern Ireland it meets all EU standards as well as American ones. The equipment has already been very successful in the US for massive concrete paving of roads.”

Throughout a generally gloomy year, manufacturers of general construction equipment have also seen sales rise in their road building range. Chinese conglomerate LiuGong is best known in this region for a long-established line up of wheel loaders, but according to the general manager Huang Zhaohua it has been the firm’s line-up of vibratory drum rollers that have seen the largest increase in sales over the last year. “This type of equipment has seen a 30% rise in sales over the last year, against a downturn of 30% in the market generally.”

Major road building contracts are currently being offered in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with a number also being tendered in Oman.

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