WITH its finger firmly on the pulse of the market, Kanoo Machinery continues to boost its presence and product portfolio and hence its rapidly growing count of success stories in Saudi Arabia.

Part of the Gulf-based Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo group, the firm caters to diverse industrial sectors with a wide range of equipment and consumables from the world’s leading manufacturers of materials handling, maintenance and industrial products. The proactive company continues to add to its product portfolio based on market requirements, which it assesses on a regular basis.

For instance, Kanoo Machinery has recently added concrete mixers and pumps manufactured by Shantui to its product line in response to the high growth of the construction industry. “These products are of international quality which will satisfy the high demand in the Saudi Arabia market,” says Bob Jennings, Kanoo Machinery’s general manager for the Middle East.

Jennings ... focused.

Also, because of the significant increase in sales of machinery across the Gulf, the company has introduced a unique “remote monitoring system”, which monitors trends in equipment performance and predicts when maintenance is needed and, essentially, ensures that it is undertaken before any breakdown occurs, thus maximising fleet utilization and increasing uptime.

“This system offers 24/7 real-time monitoring of assets, which proactively monitors equipment and system performance. The heavy machinery management software captures live information on operation, performance, and efficiency of all the products we supply, and also triggers immediate alarms on faulty equipment and can help anticipate failure,” explains Jennings.

He adds that Kanoo Machinery is probably the first machinery company in the Middle East to introduce such a unique “real-time single platform monitoring system, giving us an edge over the competition”.

The company also intends to launch a number of new and innovative products this year to boost its extensive products line, which currently includes mobile cranes; machine-to-machine remote monitoring; skid-steer loaders, mini-excavators and telehandlers; forklift trucks; agriculture tractors; road sweepers and scrubbers; welding machines and consumables; compressors; grinding and cutting wheels; hydraulic excavators; compaction machines; man lifts; truck loaders; engines; construction equipment; and materials handling equipment.

Commenting on the Saudi market, Jennings says the company has seen a high demand for larger lift capacity cranes with longer booms required in the high lifting jobs in the construction of new refineries and in the petrochemicals sector.

“In the materials handling world, the growth of the logistics and 3PL (third-party logistics) industry has created a big demand for warehouse equipment, which is met through our large range of Hyster machines as well as new technology products such as articulated forklifts from Aisle Master,” he says.

Grove GMK 5170 by Manitowoc ... supplied by Kanoo.

Kanoo Machinery has been participating in an increasing number of construction projects in Saudi Arabia, where it was established 50 years ago. Business in the kingdom over the past year has been excellent, thanks to a boom in various sectors, such as oil and gas, logistics and the construction industry, says the company.

Kanoo Machinery’s success stories in Saudi Arabia are many and cover all major provinces of the kingdom, according to Jennings. The company recently secured a number of huge orders for Hyster forklift trucks, Grove cranes and other port handling equipment for large contracts and construction projects within the kingdom.

Kanoo Machinery has been one of the foremost heavy equipment suppliers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE for more than 50 years and more recently, it has made inroads into the Qatar, Yemen and Oman markets through joint venture companies. Kanoo Machinery has six branches in Saudi Arabia, six in the UAE, one in Bahrain, one in Qatar, one in Oman and one in Yemen and employs 430 people.

Its world-class products are backed by a strong after-sales network of workshops, replacement parts and mobile service facilities throughout the Gulf and wider region.

Kanoo Machinery continues to expand its presence and support services in the region to sustain its significant growth in the Gulf. In Saudi Arabia, its Jeddah and Jubail offices are relocating to new and larger premises which will help the company stock more machines and parts. This and the new facilities in warehousing and after-sales service is expected to firmly strengthen its position in those areas.

Hyster forklifts ... huge demand.

In the UAE, meanwhile, Kanoo Machinery recently set up its first dedicated customer care centre in Jebel Ali, which boasts state-of-the-art facilities for servicing and customer support.

Kanoo Machinery is fully committed to delivering the highest level of product and services to its customers, says Jennings, and has an effective and efficient quality management system. The system was first certified to the ISO 9002 standard in 1995 and has since maintained its certification and continuously improved and enhanced its processes with the current certification as per ISO 9001:2008 standard.

The company actively participates in the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) and the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA) and has achieved awards in both.

This emphasis on quality has also helped Kanoo Machinery to achieve recognition from both its customers and principals for its service and performance.

It has recently been awarded the DP World top vendor award in recognition of its exemplary performance and ongoing contribution towards DP World UAE region’s success in 2012.

Kanoo Machinery has also further diversified into rental of equipment, both long and short term, under the banner of Gulf Lifting Rental Company in Saudi Arabia and Kanrent in the UAE.

The Kanoo Group of companies has been in the market for over 120 years in various businesses and has grown from its origins in the trading and shipping business to one of the most diversified businesses that are highly regarded in the Gulf region and beyond.