Almajdouie Logistics continues to serve as one of the leading players in the handling of cargo including large and outsized equipment for projects coming up in Saudi Arabia.

The company, working in partnership with leading contractors, has expertise in transporting cargo, straight from the vessel bringing it to Saudi shores to the project site across highway and desert.

Even as it has accumulated experience through its long experience in delivering project material and other consignments, it has not lost sight of the importance of maintaining safety in all aspects, both in terms of cargo and the accompanying personnel, the company pointed out.

Safety considerations also include the territory through which the material is conveyed, whether rough desert terrain or high-quality tarmac on highways and streets.

Voicing the company’s total dedication to safety is the chief operating officer for logistics, Khalid M Alghamdi, who vowed that Almajdouie would leave no stone unturned to maintain the safety of men and material.

Almajdouie Logistics Company (MLC) is the largest logistics provider in the region based on owned assets. A one-stop solution for project logistics and supply chain management, MLC offers complete transportation, heavy lift, freight forwarding and terminal and warehousing services. The company provides integrated solutions, tailored for specific client needs through a 6,000-strong workforce, a fleet of 2,000 heavy vehicles and 2 million sq m in terminal and warehousing facilities.

Since its start in 1965 with just a single transport truck, Almajdouie has developed into a diverse conglomerate with operations spanning the Arabian Gulf, Asia, Europe and North America. 

In 2014, the company executed a total of 1.41 million freight tonnes of cargo for projects including Sadara, Kemya, Ras Al Khair, Shaybah, Wasit Gas Plant, Tasnee and Maaden Ammonia (all in the Eastern Region), Rabigh, YERP, Shoibah, Marafiq, Jeddah South Power Plant and Yanbu 3 (all in the Western Region) and Jizan Refinery and Shuqaiq power plant in the south.

Alghamdi: safety is of the essence

In 2013 the company had executed a total volume of 1.9 freight tonnes for projects in the eastern and western provinces.

During last year, the company was proud to have been contracted to transport project equipment to Sadara, the largest petrochemical complex ever built in a single phase. Two stainless steel heat exchangers, one of 59,828 kg and the other of 416,612 kg were ferried across 45 km from Jubail Commercial Port to the Sadara site in Jubail.

“This movement was successfully carried out with full safety and involved the cutting of some fences. The client appreciated our efforts and the way we managed the operation all the way from port,” Alghamdi said.

Also challenging was the ferrying of three heavy transformers from Jeddah port to the Jeddah South Power Plant, near Almajdouie’s Khumra Terminal. Each of the three transformers weighed 450 tonnes, while the transportation also involved a generator of 395 tonnes.

The transportation process bristled with a serious problem. A bridge over a channel on Navy property had load capacity of just 300 tonnes while the trailer and cargo weighed well beyond that. For another pathway to be built over the channel, permission had to be obtained from the municipality, which was granted. A pathway or bypass was built over the channel by installing steel plates and beams. After the entire cargo passed through, the installation was removed.  It was a challenging project but with Almajdouie experts and support from the project owner things moved as per plan, recalled Alghamdi.

Almajdouie also executed an order received from Al Babtain Contracting Company for transporting three heavy units of transformers from their arrival at Dammam Port all the way to the site of the Irqaa project in Riyadh, some 500 km away. The equipment will be installed through a jacking and skidding process.

“Because of the sensitivity, weight and height of the cargo, many precautionary measures were taken to fulfill requirements of the Ministry of Transport,” said Alghamdi.

Under a contract received from Sapin’s Coordinodora, Almajdouie Logistics delivered seven heavy columns to Sadara Petrochemical Company. The items were received at Jubail Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port and transported to the Sadara complex in Jubail. Three more are to be dispatched to the site. The heaviest equipment weighs 601 tonnes, the longest is 76 m, the widest 8.5 m and the highest 8.3 m, according to details given by Almajdouie

SAFETY MATTERS

COO Alghamdi reaffirmed that Almajdouie Logistics accords the highest priority to safety. “It is a requirement for us and for our clients as well,” he said, adding that the company was applying the best European standards to its operations.

Almajdouie Logistics was the first company in Saudi Arabia to undertake a survey under an assessment conducted for SQAS (sustainability and quality assessment system).

The assessment was organised by an independent party under the supervision of Gulf Petrochemical Association (GPCA). GPCA is advocating the highest standards for operations at regional enterprises.

The company is recognised for its expertise in moving heavy and outsized equipment

 “The assessment we have undertaken took two years. As per our plan, we are preparing all our sites to be SQAS assessed under the transport service module. As our next goal we are looking forward to participating in the second SQAS module which is related to warehousing services,” said Alghamdi.  

“The SQAS survey yielded a 30 per cent success rate for Almajdouie Logistics. One of the successes we scored was in apparatus safety. Under SQAS, we are going to meet the whole list of requirements.”

With regard to transportation of heavy equipment, Almajdouie Logistics assures that items such as fasteners, lashes, belts and chains remain in impeccable condition so as to have transportation operations proceeding without incident. The entire range of PPE (personal protective equipment) is subjected to great scrutiny towards ensuring safety.

“Thanks be to God, we’ve not had a major incident while transporting large and heavy equipment, an activity that Almajdouie Logistics conducts quite frequently,” Alghamdi stated. “Now we’re proceeding to receive certification for implementing the Integrated Management System (IMS), which could be awarded by March 2015.” The IMS is designed and administered as a management tool for measuring health, safety, quality and environmental performance according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001.

“Almajdouie Logistics takes responsibility to implement the highest standards in safety that will ensure the safest operation offered to our clients including transportation, warehousing, terminal operations, material-handling, etc. And to do it we are implementing and maintaining so many methodologies that include: daily safety talks, safety trainings and campaigns, provision of PPEs, implementing programmes concerning Behavioral Base Safety (BBS) and ensuring that all equipment is in good condition and fit to our customers’ needs. Moreover, we have safety committees located in every site within the kingdom to look after safety issues such as accident investigation and root cause analysis.

Almajdouie Logistics created a theme called “Amaan” with the sole purpose of promoting safety and encouraging its employees to work safely through different awareness programmes and awarding the best safety performers every quarter.

“Safety awareness programmes are conducted every three months.  In 2014 we accomplished three safety events under the title of Safety Week. We have conducted more than 100 training sessions in different subjects covering more than 1,100 people from different levels,” said Alghamdi.