EQUIPPED with modern technology and highly-skilled labour, Saudi Arabia’s Al Kifah Precast Company is looking to secure a sustainable growth through market penetration, having identified the huge demand for its products in the construction industry.

According to statistics, the construction industry has witnessed a 21 per cent growth since 2004 at an annual rate of five per cent. Furthermore, there is a huge shortage of housing units, hospitals, and educational institutions, indicating that the construction industry will enjoy good demand in the future, according to Abdul Aziz Al Afaleq, managing director of Al Kifah Precast, which began operations recently.
“Contracting and construction companies currently operating in Saudi Arabia do not have sufficient capacity to meet the requirements of the market. After having identified this demand, we are planning to benefit from the opportunities in the kingdom by cooperating with all stakeholders including real estate developers, consultants and contractors,” he says.
“While there is demand for hollowcore slabs, suppliers did not have enough capacity to meet that demand in the past,” he adds.

Al Kifah Precast offers turnkey services, such as design, production, delivery and erection of precast products including hollowcore slabs, wall panels and skeleton products. Its specialty, however, is precast concrete design.
“Our qualified and experienced design team liaises closely with owners and consultants of projects to develop precast solutions and products that comply with the project’s specific requirements. From the initial concept to final design, this cooperative approach to construction reduces costs and improves quality. As such, the design department plays a key role in the company’s success,” says Al Afaleq.
Backed by quality products and using sophisticated project management tools, technical expertise and well-experienced staff and management information system, Al Kifah Precast focuses on offering tailor-made precast solutions for practically any project size in a variety of applications, including residential projects, industrial plants, schools, hospitals, shopping malls, office buildings, warehouses, car-parks and bridges.
The company has already made its mark by securing a number of projects in the Eastern Province including a Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu housing project; King Faisal University, Al Ahsa; and a six-storey full precast car-parking building in Al Khobar.
Commenting on the global financial crisis, Al Afaleq says: “The Saudi market has not been affected so much by the recent world financial crisis. As a result, the construction industry has remained safe.”
Al Kifah Precast Company is located near the Second Industrial City in Dammam over an area of 117,000 sq m. Its 20,000 sq m manufacturing facility consists of three production lines – for hollowcore slabs, wall panels and skeleton products.
The factory is equipped with the latest technologies in the industry, enabling it to offer cost-effective, reliable and durable solutions. In addition, it has a stockyard spread over 28,000 sq m to hold 1.5 months of full production volume.
Al Kifah Precast’s strategic location helps it target all surrounding regions effectively, including Al Ahsa, Dammam and Al Khobar regions. Being close to Al Jubail Highway, it can also approach the Jubail market easily, he says. There are also plans to target the Riyadh market later on, he adds. To ensure that it makes optimum use of its resources, the company plans to increase the number of its employees to 1,000. In addition, it looks to training Saudis at all levels as its contribution to the country’s economy.