The Bokhowa Group – which has just completed three decades of successful operations in Bahrain – is looking to further consolidate its presence in the market through a programme of diversification and partnerships that will strengthen its capabilities.

Starting out in 1974 as a construction company through its flagship Bokhowa Construction, the group has recently ventured into trading and property development with the support of reputed financial houses.
Over the years, the Bokhowa Group has developed a strong relationship with local consultants and subcontractors, while providing quality products and services, which has enabled it to secure a number of repeat contracts from its satisfied clients
Bokhowa Group is now in the process of starting a joint venture with a reputable Malaysian company to propel its contracting business forward, according to Riyadh Bokhowa, managing director.
“This move is being made to further our ambitions of expanding into different fields and tendering for larger scale projects as well as to broaden our experience,” he says. “We are looking at becoming stronger in the market through providing a variety of services while acquiring the skills to take on more specialised projects.”
The group is also planning to expand its divisions and penetrate the other markets in the region.
The Bokhowa Group aims to excel in providing construction and engineering solutions, as well as quality products and services, says Bokhowa.
Commenting on business levels last year, Bokhowa says: “2004 has been quite a successful year for the group which covers construction and infrastructure works such as drainage, buildings, roads and tunnelling.
He continues: “While construction activity is booming, the market is becoming increasingly competitive and contractors working on major projects are facing higher risks due to the volatile market conditions and ever fluctuating/increasing exchange rates.”

Bokhowa Construction
The government-approved AA grade contractor has recently completed and handed over the Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Causeway (SKBS) project, which is a part of the main Hidd to Mina Salman causeway.
The BD1.68 million contract for the Road Directorate involved modifications of many of the existing buildings and services within the Mina Salman port area. The Mina Salman gateway has been demolished without disrupting the port’s activities and the gate has been shifted 300 m southwards to Avenue 42 in the industrial area.
“The SKBS project provided us with a unique experience and presented a number of challenges because of the infrastructure and services of the existing port,” says Bokhowa.“Some of the problems such as the ‘spagetti’ of services that ran underground were new to us.  Most of the services were to be physically located at site and we had to coordinate with various authorities to remove/divert the services.
“The work was further compounded by the fact that there were a number of subcontractors working on the project.
“However, due to our years of experience in the field and with the support of the Ministry of Works and the port, we were able to overcome these challenges and complete the project on time,” he adds.
The company has also completed work on the Jaffaria Religious Institute at Juffair for the Construction Projects Directorate of the Ministry of Works. Earlier this year, Bokhowa completed sewerage and drainage projects in Isa Town and Muharraq.
Bokhowa holds credit for the construction of the Technical Secondary School at Muharraq for Kuwait Technical Office in 2003. The BD5 million facility is considered to be the largest of its kind in terms of size and facilities in the GCC.
The company has recently launched work on a new explosive storage facility for Bapco, which is scheduled for completion next October, as well on the construction of 10 luxury villas at Busaiteen for the Housing Bank. The latter BD1.2 million project is due for completion in July.
Bokhowa is now set to start work on the Bahrain Cultural Hall which will be located between the Marina Club and the Bahrain Museum. The BD858,700 project was awarded to the firm by the Special Projects Directorate of the Ministry of Works and Housing.
The contractor also holds term contracts with Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco) and the Water Distribution Directorate.
Bokhowa Construction employs a team approach to each project, working closely with the client, architect, engineers and consultants from the very early stages of a project.  It is committed to building projects of a superior quality and value, he says.
“We at Bokhowa believe that the majority of construction savings can be generated during the earliest phases of a project,” says Bokhowa. “We are committed to providing cost-effective architectural and engineering solutions and our highly disciplined methods are designed to assure that the clients’ objectives and budget are met.
“We offer a full spectrum of services that include design review, constructability analysis, scheduling, estimating, subcontractor selection, procurement, field supervision, safety management, quality control, cost control up to project handover.
“We constantly upgrade our products, skills and services in line with the latest building technologies to stay ahead of the competition and meet our customers’ total satisfaction. 

Property development
The real estate division of the Bokhowa group began its foray into property sector with the development of the medium-sized Deewania Hotel in the heart of Manama and later the Bokhowa Apartments.
The division is now set to launch work on an estimated BD3 million apartment building, which occupies a 2,726 sq m site in the Seef District near Bahrain Mall. The 13-storey building will offer 84 fully-furnished apartments, a penthouse and include a 700 sq m showroom. Additional facilities include a swimming pool, gym, conference hall and basement car parking.
The division also intends to launch a BD2 million villa complex in Saar during mid-2005. It will include 10 luxurious villas, which will be fully furnished and offer various facilities. 

Bokhowa Commercial
Bokhowa Commercial, operating successfully for the past six years, has contributed in supplying quality and cost-effective construction products in Bahrain. The company is the sole distributor in the kingdom for the following companies:
• Allfa Dubel, Germany, which offers a range of quality solutions for joints and fixtures for walls;
• George Utz of Switzerland, one of the leading manufacturers of containers, pallets, multi-use transport systems and technical components made of plastics. George Utz offers innovative solutions in storage and conveying technology;
• King’s Shoe Manufacturing of Singapore, which offers a reputed brand of industrial safety shoes;
• Ningbo Shanquan Fibreglass Company of China, which specialises in fibreglass mesh fabric. It has three large factories with an annual production capacity of 20 million sq m. Bokhowa Commercial solely distributes Ningbo fibreglass mesh, which is approved in major projects and widely used in the kingdom.
Along with these major agencies, the division also has a vast range of building materials, sanitary ware, hardware, safety equipment and power tools.