Gulf Warehousing Company (GWC)’s two major ongoing projects are contributing significantly to the transformation of Qatar’s logistics landscape. 

The Bu Sulba Logistics Hub for SMEs is making good progress while construction on Phase 5 of Logistics Village Qatar (LVQ) has begun. Both initiatives come at an opportune time as Qatar prepares to build the infrastructure required for hosting the soccer World Cup in 2022. Logistics will play a key role in the tournament’s success which gives special significance both to Bu Sulba and LVQ.

The GWC Bu Sulba warehousing park is currently 70 per cent complete, said group chief executive Rajeev Menon. Its facilities will be “the direct result of our company’s knowledge of the logistics sector and the government’s directive to support SMEs with immediately operational and flexible warehousing solutions,” he added.

The government is confident the park will make SMEs more competitive in the market by offering all their requirements within one location and by remaining flexible and scalable enough to allow the clients’ operations to grow within the hub as needed. 

To develop the hub, GWC entered into an agreement with Economic Zones Company (Manateq).  Bu Sulba has a total area of 520,000 sq m, including 200,000 sq m of warehouses and distribution centres and 21,000 sq m of container depots and open yards. It will be a fully-integrated facility serving every need of clients, staff, visitors, and residents within. There will be office buildings, staff accommodations, commercial and first aid centres, dining and recreation facilities, and a mosque.

Bu Sulba is designed to reduce capital expenditures and fixed costs and offer services in an environment that is fully protected against fire and other safety hazards. The premises will be monitored by 24/7 manned security and CCTV. More importantly, SME clients will benefit from GWC’s longstanding experience in the industry, with free warehousing consultancy offered to its potential clients.

“The park has facilities and services that cater to most industry verticals, and the company has already begun booking reservations on behalf of clients from a variety of these sectors. However, with the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 and its proximity to the city and all gateways and markets, the company expects to have many contracts with the food and beverage and FMCG sectors,” said Menon.  

LVQ’s Phase 5 will increase warehousing capacity with two new major distribution centres offering 17,500 and 28,000 sq m of additional space. Both centres have already been fully booked by LVQ clients expanding their warehousing base within the hub. Phase V also will have two new accommodation buildings and a mosque. Being the final developmental phase, there have been additions to include further enhancements to new and existing warehouses.

Menon: LVQ is a model for all logistics facilities in Qatar

Logistics Village Qatar is serving as a model for all logistics facilities in the country. Menon highlights that it was the first to offer fully-integrated supply chain solutions under one roof and to do so at a scale as yet unmatched in the country, featuring 1 million sq m of infrastructure and facilities at the client’s disposal. “The quality and the design of our multipurpose warehouses and distribution centers are a model of efficiency, built according to the best international standards, and constantly certified to ensure that these standards are upheld,” commented Menon.

“It is the experience earned by constructing and managing Logistics Village Qatar that has set the basis for our work in the GWC Bu Sulba Warehousing Park and the point of comparison for all logistics and supply chain operations in the State of Qatar.” 

GWC recently announced a net profit of QR101.3 million ($27.79 million) for first-half 2016, up 15 per cent compared with the same period of the previous year. 

OTHER INITIATIVES

While Bu Sulba and LVQ 5 are ongoing schemes, GWC has completed the construction of two other hub projects, one of which was the expansion of the Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) hub. The expansion, built in the newly developed West Side Service Area, offers a 15,000 sq m warehouse with specialised hazardous material (hazmat) logistics specifications for the benefit of clients in the oil and gas sector.
The expansion also features an open yard, bulk storage, and the first privately owned ISO-tank storage facility in the country.

The other hub that GWC completed in recent years was a 9,000 sq m warehouse at Mesaieed Industrial City that became operational in 2014. According to GWC, the development was well-received; the facility is now fully occupied, and supports clients with comprehensive services, offering hazmat and classified chemical storage and logistics, general cargo and bulk storage.

GWC has highlighted its role in serving Qatar’s oil and gas sector and other heavy industry clients. The company’s hazmat team provides such clients with end-to-end hazmat warehousing solutions including warehousing for chemicals used in factories and on offshore rigs. The team’s responsibilities include monthly deliveries and dispatches to various offshore rigs, in addition to receiving chemical shipments by road, sea, and air, inspecting these shipments and handling them in accordance with the best industry guidelines.

For metallic industries, GWC provdes supply chain solutions for a number of clients, including one of the largest aluminum plants in the world, safely storing and handling tens of thousands of chemical raw materials annually on their behalf.

Helping the logistics operations is Qatar’ largest transport fleet which GWC owns and operates. There are more than 400 trailers, reefers and side-curtains under an umbrella of over 1,200 vehicles at the company’s disposal. The company has deployed a well-connected and knowledgeable customs clearance team. For GWC’s heavy industry clients, it offers solutions for complex requirements through its partner Agility.

Meanwhile, an initiative called GWC Equestrian continues to earn market share, and has been cooperating closely with Al Shaqab (a member of Qatar Foundation) in the transport of horses and their related assets for their biggest events including the Chi Al Shaqab 2016 and the Longines Global Champions Tour: Doha 2015.

In fine arts logistics, GWC is partnering with the UK’s Constantine and has executed some of the biggest shows to be staged in Qatar including “What About the Art?” exhibition, featuring the work of 15 Chinese artists as part of the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture.