Alessa Industries Group, one of the leading integrated industrial conglomerates in Saudi Arabia, has announced its plan to expand into the Qatari market leveraging the huge potential offered by diverse sectors of the economy.

Yousef Al Mutlaq, CEO, Alessa Industries Group, said: “The decision to boost our presence in the Qatari market is based on the country’s promising potential. Qatar has registered one of the highest growth rates in the region across various industry segments. The move also reflects our commitment to supporting economic integration between the member-nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council.”

In 2012 the Riyadh-based group teamed up with several internationally based partners, including a US-headquartered company with expertise in eco-friendly air handling units, and successfully executed several projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“We recently built a number of factories, especially air handling units, in an attempt to shift the base of this technology from the US and European countries to our region. Within one year of opening our production plant in Riyadh, our projects have begun demonstrating growth along with the size of our business in the region as a whole.”

The group is comprised of four prominent and diversified companies covering the trading, manufacturing and contracting construction sectors.

Qatar has pumped in nearly $250 billion in less than 10 years for the development of projects that have attracted investments from several international majors.

Alessa Industries Group laid the groundwork towards strengthening its presence in Qatar early last year through setting up a dedicated branch office in Doha. Al Mutlaq commented: “We have already established a strong relationship with several leading companies in Qatar. This is driven by our presence and reputation in the market through our partners and our portfolio of products. While our partners represent a range of well-known local and international trademarks such as Gibson and Hitachi, we have consistently catered to the country’s demand for innovative products, especially eco-friendly offerings that are compatible with Qatar’s green buildings standards.

“Our multi-pronged presence in Qatar will see us support the economy across various sectors. We are particularly keen to contribute to the World Cup 2022 with our capacity to provide a comprehensive bouquet of products that meet the policy of the construction sector and the holistic needs of infrastructure developments including stadiums and hospitals. We are in dialogue with members of the technical committees of the World Cup 2022 that set standards and specifications for projects in the state. We are gearing up to announce our first project in Qatar soon.”

Alessa took part in the 10th ‘Qatar Projects’ exhibition, a tradeshow for materials, equipment and techniques of construction and environmental technology.

QATAR PRODUCTION
While the group’s existing plants cover the Gulf region and the Middle East, Al Mutlaq did not rule out the possibility of establishing plants in Qatar in the future should the need arise. Such decisions, he clarified, were driven by feasibility assessments that are aligned with the country’s industrial operations. “This is an issue that we take very seriously and that we constantly explore. What matters is that these projects add real value to the Alessa Industries Group as well as the countries we operate in.”

Sharing his vision for the industrial sector in the GCC countries, Al Mutlaq said: “The regional industrial sector offers large-scale opportunities, and is an important strategic choice in the context of diversifying the national economy and moving away from dependence on oil and gas. Undoubtedly, we have made great strides in this area. However, we believe that the potential is much greater. Alessa Industries Group believes in these opportunities and has, therefore, invested heavily in developing an advanced domestic industrial capability.”