Fahad Rashed Al Otaibi, CEO, EPCCO
Location: Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Business activity: Limestone mining, cement and clinker production
As a leading supplier of cement and clinker in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCCO) has played a pivotal role in the development of infrastructure in the region during the last four decades. EPCCO operates its manufacturing plant in the Kharsaniyah area of Dammam, in proximity to limestone quarries and oil refineries to facilitate the procurement of raw materials. With four production lines, EPCCO caters to the requirements of construction projects of all sizes in the Eastern Province, primarily in the industrial cities of Jubail and Ras Al Khair.
EPCCO’s mining and manufacturing operations demand earthmoving equipment that are reliable under tough operating conditions, some of which are unique to the Middle East. Fahad Rashed Al Otaibi, CEO, EPCCO, elaborates on the factors influencing the company’s investment in construction equipment.
“Construction equipment constitutes a major share of EPCCO’s investments because we rely on them to procure and manufacture high-quality materials. The Saudi market is highly competitive, and therefore, we demand machine specifications that meet the highest international standards of performance and safety and customized for the operating conditions in Saudi Arabia. The selection of partners is equally crucial; we need suppliers that exceed our expectations with regard to machine quality, performance, reliability and operating costs,” says Fahad.
Currently, EPCCO’s fleet of construction and mining equipment comprises several units of crawler dozers, crawler excavators, rigid dump trucks and wheel loaders from Komatsu. Fahad attributes his preference for Komatsu machines to a “great working relationship built on trust”.
“We have been a Komatsu customer for nearly as long as we have been in business, which has given us sufficient time to understand each other’s capabilities and potential. As a global market leader in construction equipment, and especially a Japanese manufacturer, the Komatsu brand is associated with the highest standards of product and service quality. Acquiring the right machine for the job is half the task; we also need to bring operators up to speed with new technology and machine features. In this regard, Komatsu has helped us optimize our fleet operations and improve our internal processes, which has proved to be rewarding for us. We always welcome a local partner that can understand customer needs and communicate them well to the manufacturer. Abdul Latif Jameel Machinery has enhanced Komatsu’s voice of the customer program in Saudi Arabia by always being responsive to our feedback with regard to product development and improvement of local support and services,” says Fahad.
Fahad indicates the company’s expansion plans in response to growth in construction activity in the Eastern Province and future projects under the Saudi Vision 2030 program.
“The Saudi Vision 2030 framework is designed to boost infrastructure development, and as a result, the growth of associated industries. We anticipate significant demand from the infrastructure and construction industries in the next decade, which will require an expansion of our production capacity and fleet size. Currently, we are well positioned to support future industrial and commercial construction projects in the Eastern Province. That said, market conditions will dictate our fleet expansion and replacement plans in the future. In our pursuit for excellence, we are always open to ideas for improvement and we expect our partners to engage with in different ways to add value for our customers. This is where Komatsu’s brand promise of “creating value together” resonates well with our growth ambitions. Komatsu and Abdul Latif Jameel Machinery are invested in our journey, and we want to nurture our relationship and push the boundaries of what we can achieve together.”
