Saleh Fareed
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — “Despite the withering effect from the oil price plunge and the hostilities in the region, we continue to believe Saudi Arabia will remain robust in the face of these challenges, largely owing to the nation’s investment in non-oil growth, including a continuum in the momentum of the construction sector,” said Eaton’s Middle East General Manager.
Speaking about their presence in the largest market in the region, Frank Ackland, Eaton’s Middle East General Manager, said that Eaton’s growth in Saudi Arabia is fueled by both the nation’s oil and gas industry, as well the commercial and infrastructure sectors, an example of which includes Sadara, who we supplied supply Low and Medium Voltage Motor Control Centers and Low Voltage Switchgear to.
“Apart from such projects, we have also established a manufacturing plant in Dammam, with the products assembled here catering to our customers in the wider GCC region. This means local supply of key products in versus imported which is always appreciated by our partners,” he said.
Regarding their projects in Saudi Arabia, Ackland noted that Eaton’s growth in Saudi Arabia is fueled by both the nation’s oil and gas industry, as well the commercial and infrastructure sectors.
As the company expands here in Saudi Arabia, he further said “in 2016 we are looking to further develop the talent and expertise we have on the ground. Our people are our greatest asset and we have a team in Saudi (Arabia) that provides knowledge across our entire portfolio. A growing sector for us in Saudi is in our Safety business. As legislation from ministries puts much greater emphasis on the safety standards that must be adhered to in the construction and maintenance of buildings, our role as a global leader in this area has brought strong interest for solutions including emergency lighting, fire detection systems as well as mass notification. We recently launched a new product in this area, the CGLine+, which allows building maintenance to check the status of all safety lighting in a building through software that links to a mobile device. This not only saves many manual man-hours but also highlights any risks there may be so they can be addressed quickly and safely.”
Commenting on the current situation, Ackland explained that the dip in oil prices will undoubtedly have an impact on GCC economies, including that of Saudi Arabia. Many GCC nations have already begun instilling a series of measures aimed at cutting government expenditures and are instead looking for alternative sources to raise government revenue.
