Speciality Engineering Chemicals (SpEC), a leading construction chemicals specialist, has continued the expansion of the company’s international presence with the appointment of Juffali Chemical Products (JCP) as its sole distributor in Saudi Arabia.

JCP is a leading manufacturer and distributor of chemicals in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf and is part of E A Juffali & Bros, one of the largest private companies in Saudi Arabia.
“Juffali and SpEC’s collaboration in Saudi Arabia marks the beginning of an alliance which will cover a number of product areas in Saudi Arabia in the future,” says Marwan Bardawil, SpEC’s managing director.
Founded in 1997, SpEC is part of the Bardawil group which was founded in 1945 and today has operations in Lebanon, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan and the UK. The Bardawil group is active in the manufacturing, distribution and specialised contracting sectors.
SpEC currently exports to over 20 countries in the Far East, Middle East, Europe and Africa. The ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of construction chemicals has a wide range of products for concrete repair, flooring, coatings, joint sealants, waterproofing, grouts and adhesives. For concrete repair, its range includes cementitious skim mortar, structural repair mortar, lightweight cementitious repair mortar, high fluidity micro concrete repair mortar, high-strength epoxy mortar, while for floorings, the company produces epoxy coatings and polyurethane, cementitious and decorative surface sealers / hardeners. Its coatings range includes anti– carbonation coatings, pitch-extended epoxy resin coatings, epoxy bedding and repair mortars epoxy coating for formwork protection, while its grouts range includes cementitious grouts, epoxy grouts, resin injection and resin anchors.
“Since its inception, SpEC has embarked on an export-led strategy that focuses on the South East Asian, Middle East and African markets,” says Bardawil. “The range of products offered in similar climates in developing countries has given the company extensive insight and experience in assisting its distributors and clients.
The company has continued to make solid progress into a number of new markets by offering quality products at competitive prices delivered through high quality servicing from its distributors.
“Our focus is on identifying and developing long-term relationships with our performing distributors in our target markets,” says Bardawil. “Our distributors value the long-term commitment we offer – which is different to the approach often taken by the multinationals who will inevitably want to have their own presence in any significant market without having a local distributor”.
“This approach has been built on our own group’s experience, when we represented a number of major names in the GCC in the 1960s through the 1980s, only to find our long-term efforts in specification, marketing and technical support being diluted through the major companies’ change in strategy by not wanting to have a local distributor,” he adds.
SpEC has extensive synergies with the Bardawil group’s effective and long-standing presence in a number of Middle Eastern countries through its associate companies such as: Emirates Specialities in the UAE, Al Bahar and Bardawil Specialities in Kuwait and Iraq, Bardawil Specialities in Qatar and Bardawil and Co-CEM in Lebanon.
“These companies typically provide distribution and technical support for the full range of SpEC products and application capability where required in product areas such as flooring and concrete repair,” says Bardawil.
“Our distributors ultimately benefit from SpEC’ intricate understanding of the challenges and opportunities of being a distributor and applicator, and are able to offer a combination of products, service, focus and long-term commitment that few can match in the industry,” he says.