Bosch Rexroth, one of the world’s leading specialists in the field of drive and control technologies, has witnessed a more than doubling of business in 2012 over the previous year in Saudi Arabia, an area it describes as one of its cornerstone markets in the Middle East.

The Rexroth TS 2plus Transfer System was supplied to Al Fanar Control Panels Factory by Saudi Gulf Hydraulics Company

“We perceive a big potential for growth with business increasing by at least 15 per cent this year,” said Rami Al Ashqar, business development manager for Bosch Rexroth at Robert Bosch Middle East FZE, Dubai.

Germany-based Bosch Rexroth develops and produces components and systems in the fields of electric drives and controls, industrial hydraulics, mobile hydraulics, linear technology, assembly technology and pneumatics and sells them in more than 80 countries. Under the Rexroth brand it has supplied more than 500,000 customers worldwide with tailored solutions for driving, controlling and moving.

In Saudi Arabia it has aligned itself with Saudi Gulf Hydraulics Company Ltd (SGHCL) which serves as its authorised distributor in the kingdom. SGHCL has five main bases in Saudi Arabia: two in Riyadh, one in Jeddah, one in Dammam and one in Yanbu with state-of-the-art showrooms and large stocks of readily available genuine Rexroth parts as well as service workshops in order to service the large install base of Bosch Rexroth in Saudi Arabia.

“A distinct advantage for Bosch Rexroth is its ability to be a veritable single-source supplier for all hydraulics and pneumatics requirements and, with SGHCL as its distributor, it is in a position to have installation, commissioning and after-sales services carried out,” said Mohammed Ali, operations manager at SGHCL. 

SGHCL has been able to use its access to Bosch Rexroth components to build power packs and supply them to companies including Ibn Zahr, Ibn Sina, Tasnee and Sabtank.

Bosch Rexroth offers system solutions for the automation of industrial systems and mobile machines. It is heavily involved in metallurgy-related projects such as steel and aluminum and supplies Rexroth system solutions for many applications in that industry.

“Bosch Rexroth and SGHCL have undertaken and successfully completed several capital projects in the kingdom all the way from design and fabrication to installation, flushing, pressure testing and commissioning of hydraulic systems,” says Mohammed Ali. “For example at Hadeed, a Sabic company, major systems and projects were delivered, commissioned and installed at different areas in the plant including the hydraulics for the arc furnace, continuous casting machine, push pickling line, hot dip galvanising mill, slitting mill and other parts ofthe caster and hot rolling mill.”

Bosch Rexroth delivers complete hydraulics systems to original equipment manufacturers but many times, as the needs of business change, they are able to identify instances where existing machines can be upgraded and retrofitted to breathe new life in them. A prime example is the retrofit job Bosch Rexroth executed with SGHCL when Ras Tanura’s liquid asphalt loading arms were converted from the mechanical system to an entirely hydraulic system that operates by remote control.

As well as oil and gas and petrochemicals, Bosch Rexroth engineers and supplies drive and control solutions for industries such as mining, cement, plastics, marine and offshore, packaging and printing.

BULGAH GOLD MINE
Al Ashqar recalled its involvement in the historic Bulgah gold mine near Medinah, which was designed with state-of-the-art equipment to survive the harsh summer conditions. All applications at the mine from the feeder to the crusher and conveyer system require a great deal of drive and control. With regards to drives for the apron feeder, Bosch Rexroth’s Hagglunds subsidiary supplied its Marathon MB400 motor, powered by a 1.9 rpm tandem hydraulic power unit. “The complete system was designed to withstand temperatures up to 60 degrees with extremely high shock loads and vibrations on the belt. One of the biggest advantages of the system was the variable speed of the motor, where an increase in speed would consequently result in an increase in production. The system has been operating for more than 10 years in these extreme conditions with no major repairs,” said Sherif Shaheed, sales manager for Bosch Rexroth at Robert Bosch Middle East FZE, Dubai.

Al Fanar’s current manufacturing line integrates the modular system TS 2plus within its automatic assembly line with 22 pallets designed for a 10 kg work piece load tailored to customer requirements

In another project, Saudi Gulf Hydraulics Co supplied the Rexroth TS 2plus Transfer System to Al Fanar Control Panels Factory which is a fully-integrated construction, manufacturing and services company with core competence in the electrical power sector and with business interests in Saudi Arabia, throughout the Gulf region and international markets.

“Saudi Gulf Hydraulics Co managed to successfully supply the complete transfer line system Rexroth TS 2plus to Al Fanar Control Panels Factory, a division of Al Fanar Electrical Systems. Their current manufacturing line integrates the modular system TS 2plus within their automatic assembly line with 22 pallets designed for a 10 kg work piece load tailored to customer requirements,” said Ali.

Bosch Rexroth has also made an impact on Saudi Arabia’s educational sector, regarded as one of the promising and lucrative markets where the need is for skilled personnel and advanced training facilities. Rexroth offers an extensive range of products and services for basic and advanced technical training and qualifications for technical institutions and vocational schools.