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“It’s the same with those companies who do not pay salaries for six months. For a responsible company to compete with cowboys is impossible, so I think there should be more responsibility on the client to understand who he is doing business with.”
Al-Mubarak knows his company’s strength lies in EPC work and lays claim to being the only Qatari contractor with its engineering capabilities in-house, something he believes creates an advantage.
“All the others have alliances with international companies, but for us that is a big handicap,” he said. “Having engineering in house is much more flexible, otherwise you are not much more than a paper-pusher.”
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That said the company is not averse to developing the right partnerships and JVs, if they can strengthen its position. In October last year AMEC, one of the largest international engineering and project management companies, joined forces with Black Cat, forming a joint venture agreement to offer asset support services to the oil, gas and petrochemical sectors working in Qatar.
“Ras Laffan in quite an amazing sight these days and these vast investments will take a lot of looking after,” said
Al-Mubarak.
“I think the technological know-how is vital when you are dealing with such safety-critical, and valuable assets and infrastructure. That’s one of the primary reasons for the joint venture with AMEC. Through the joint venture we can bring vast international know-how and experience to the Black Cat offering.”
The JV should be seen as part of a wider trend, which is accelerating in the region, of forming top tier, preferred bidder status firms with global competencies, but national backing.
But this large-scale international co-operation doesn’t mean Black Cat’s business development work is just focused on scooping up the biggest jobs. Al-Mubarak is a strong advocate of looking out for the smaller ones too.
“We are engaging with as many customers as possible, even on quite small jobs,” he said.
“I am often asked by the board ‘why do you take this small job?’ The answer is because this is the best way to learn the [clients] characteristics and processes, direct from our customers.
“I want my guys everywhere, learning all the time. That way when the big jobs come, we are there and we know how they [the customers] operate.”
Other contractors take note, when the big jobs come round, there may well be a Black Cat waiting to take them.
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FEATURED COMMENT
Having seen the quality of work and attention to detail taken, I welcome the decision to expand their scope!