DUBAI — Construction equipment manufacturer JCB bagged its first sale in the Middle East of a new product launched at the Big 5 construction show in Dubai which ended on Thursday. JCB Power Products said it signed a $100,000 deal with UAE equipment hire company Al Mutawa General Transport, for nine JCB LT9 lighting towers.
Another company, CTE Effer Gulf confirmed a Dh500,000 deal to supply an Italian-made HINO 700 series 6 x 4 truck to Saudi construction equipment supplier Tasoor Contracting. The truck will be specially fitted with a cargo body and fixed with the Effer 250-2S articulated crane.
The contract signed by JCB bolsters its bid to further increase its market share in the Middle East by capitalising on big infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. JCB is also eyeing to raise its profile in new markets in the region, particularly in Libya, Iran, Sudan and Iraq.
“It’s a good start and we hope this will be a platform leading to a significant sales across the region over the next 12 months as the market recovers,” said Faizal Hamze, JCB’s export sales manager for the Middle East.
The JCB LT9 is one of several new products that JCB will be marketing in the region. The equipment is highly transportable and ideal for rental fleets,and has a vast range of applications within road construction, rail construction and the events and agricultural sectors.
For 2010, JCB and its sole distributor in the UAE, Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment, will embark on a more aggressive campaign to pitch its heavy line products—excavators, shovels and compaction machinery.
Dan Thompstone, JCB Middle East regional manager, said JCB is projecting its market share of these products to double to 10 per cent in 2010.
The Big 5 is a barometer of the regional construction market. In spite of the lack of any other big business announcements, the show was crowded with visitors during the four-day exhibition.The region’s largest trade fair for the construction business kicked off last Monday with a 6 per cent increase in the number of exhibitors over last year.
More than 3,000 companies from 52 countries are participating in this week’s Big 5 show at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The major exhibitors includedClimatech of Canada, Belgium’s Echo Engineering, Germany’s Hoermann KG VKG and Mulk Holdings of the UAE.
business@khaleejtimes.com
