AVK Saudi Valves Manufacturing Company looks set to overtake its 2007 sales turnover having already accomplished 80 per cent of the ground to match that year’s performance.

The first four months of 2008 have registered sales of SR80 million ($21.3 million) against SR100 million for the whole of 2007, said sales and marketing manager Ole Hedegaard. The 2006 figure was given as SR60 million.
Hedegaard also said exports had climbed from SR15 million in 2006 to SR22 million in 2007 with the first four months of this year reporting SR15 million.
Exports are achieved through distributors in all the GCC states and several markets in the wider Middle East such as Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Through Denmark-based AVK Group, the Saudi production is shipped to Holland, Germany, Scandinavia and Southeast Asia.
The company manufactures valves, hydrants and fittings for the water, sewerage and fire fighting industries.
“AVK SVMC is ISO-9001 approved and the only manufacturer of valves and hydrants in the Middle East that is UL/FM approved,” said Hedegaard. The share of valves in total sales was 80 per cent with 20 per cent accounted for by hydrants and water fittings.
Most revenues came from AWWA gate valves. “It is the product we sell most to Saudi Aramco,” said Hedegaard. “We expect more sales on larger sizes of valves DN350 and DN400.
The Jeddah plant was a supplier to major projects in Saudi Arabia and other GCC states including the King Abdullah Economic City, Burj Dubai, Bahrain Financial Harbour, Durrat Al Bahrain, Hawiyah NGL, Haradh Refinery and Khurais Refinery.
The company is making major investments in new coating and blasting facilities which will reduce lead times on larger sizes of valves and be completed later this year. Hedegaard said several new products were under development for Saudi Aramco.
“Expansions will depend on how sales of new products develop, said Hedegaard.
As part of the company’s strategy for growth, an AVK Middle East sales office has been opened at the Dubai Airport Free Zone in Dubai to cover the GCC markets.
AVK Saudi Arabia, whose main shareholder is AVK Holdings A/S, was founded in 1984.
“For the last 24 years, AVK Saudi Valves has developed to be the only local manufacturer with the capability of offering a wide variety of valves complying with all major national and international standards including ISO, DIN, BS and AWWA and having the approval of Aramco, SWCC, Sabic, the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu and Maa’den, the developer of Saudi Arabia’s minerals resources,” a company statement said.
“As AVK is a worldwide supplier of valves having factories around the world including the US, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, France, Australia and Saudi Arabia, the development of the product programme is based on the needs and demands of customers worldwide.”
AVK produces valves for such diverse applications as water, sewerage, fire fighting and gas. They include gate valves, socket valves, check valves, butterfly valves, air valves, fire hydrants, float valves, flange adapters and service connection valves.
The material is machine-assembled and tested before being dispatched as a finished product to customers within Saudi Arabia and to markets in Europe and elsewhere. The company has put in place an extensive quality assurance management system certified to ISO9002.
The AVK Group owns production units, sales companies, agents and licensed partners in more than 50 countries, and its products and services are supplied to more than 80 countries worldwide.