fmME: What is the story behind Eaton Middle East?
Frank Ackland: Eaton was founded in the US in 1900 as a partnership between inventor ViggoTorbensen and business man Joseph Eaton, originally manufacturing axels for trucks. The company has evolved over the century to the power management expert it stands as today, through acquisitions and intelligent market decisions. Currently, Eaton has approximately 102,000 employees worldwide and its 2014 sales amounted to $22.6 billion.
fmME: Tell us about Eaton’s presence in the Middle East
FA: Eaton has been operating in the Middle East for more than four decades. It has contribguted to the development of the region’s infrastructure, with power management solutions that include legacy brands Westinghouse, BILL, MEM, Cutler-Hammer, Powerware, and Moeller. Eaton Middle East employs more than 300 people in 15 offices across the region, with numerous manufacturing and sales offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Cairo, Dammam, Riyadh, Doha, Manama, Kuwait City, Amman, and Beirut.
fmME: What exactly does Eaton do and/or provide?
FA: Eaton is a power management company, primarily functioning in the distribution of electrical and fluid power. We help customers manage electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power across a range of segments, including holistic solutions for the commercial construction industry.
fmME: Considering this is your first year at The Big 5 Show, what prompted Eaton to participate this time around?
FA: The Big 5 has a long history, having grown to become one of the region’s most well-known regional and international events for the building and construction industry. We see our participation as an excellent opportunity to tell our story, specifically in the commercial construction industry, where our portfolio covers low voltage and medium voltage switch gears, wiring and accessories, lighting, emergency lighting and evacuation, as well as home automation and control technologies.
fmME: What sort of products or services does Eaton plan to promote at this year’s show?
FA: Eaton will be showcasing its products through a unique experience centre that aims to highlight our services in an ‘as-live’ working environment. This aims to show products in their own right, as well as the way in which each fit together to provide resilient, reliable, and efficient energy configurations across the complete commercial construction journey.
fmME: Are you introducing any new products to the Gulf market at this exhibition? Are you targeting a new market?
FA: Our presence at The Big 5 is focused on our growing work within the commercial construction market. It is also an excellent platform to get a feel for the trends in the market and support our plans for the coming year, which will include some new products for the market.
fmME: In terms of the business, how has Eaton fared in 2015?
FA: We have continued to grow in the Middle East in 2015, most notably in the power distribution segment, despite the trying global market conditions. We have a strong network of channel partners, distributers, and panel builders across the region, which are core to the growth of our business. Like most organizations, we feel cautiously optimistic about 2016, particularly when we consider the global pattern of decline and instability in oil prices.
fmME: What does Eaton foresee for the GCC construction sector in 2016? What are the main markets?
FA: We anticipate our main markets, UAE, Qatar, and KSA, will temper slightly as economic conditions fluctuate globally. Nonetheless, 2015 has still seen large billion dollar projects being announced in the construction section. With Expo 2020, Qatar 2022 and the Middle East as one of the largest regions globally to move towards urbanisation, we are optimistic that opportunities in the construction industry will continue into 2016.
fmME: Please share any of Eaton’s recent significant developments?
FA: Eaton has increased its footprint in the Middle East significantly over the past few years, with the acquisition of Cooper Industries in 2012 as well as the inauguration of the new regional headquarters and a manufacturing plant in Dubai. Eaton recently opened a new Component Assembly Centre (C.A.C) in Dubai and currently assembles low and medium woltage switchboards and control panels at the Dubai Techno Park facility.
