X-Tec, a Finnish specialist in the design and manufacture of high-performance machinery and equipment for the precast concrete industry, is setting up a regional office in Dubai in a bid to further enhance its support to customers and boost its business levels in the region, according to Raimo Juhantalo, director of customer services.

“The new office will be operational during 2006 and will be fully staffed with sales and technical support personnel. Following the growth in business levels in the region and the rising demand for plants and machinery in the precast sector, it was natural for us to set up a base in Dubai. This is a major commitment on our part to enable us to fully service the existing plants supplied by X-Tec and tap the enormous opportunities in the Arabian Gulf,” he says. “It is also a natural extension to X-Tec’s huge overall business growth.”
The company has been active during its entire existence in the Middle East over the 12 years, delivering complete production lines, factory systems and equipment to numerous clients around the world. It is currently working on two major projects in Dubai.
“We are currently working on expanding the capacity at Al Shafar group’s Hard Precast Building Systems precast plant in Dubai Investments Park. After the new equipment is commissioned, the factory’s output is expected to reach 1,300 sq m per day which will help meet the growing demand for precast hollow slabs in the country,” he points out.
X-Tec is also supplying and commissioning a full-fledged plant – with a total production capacity of 2,700 sq m per day – for Gulf Precast Concrete Company at the Dubai Investments Park. “The company has already supplied two plants to Gulf Precast,” he points out. “We are at the installation stage and the plant is scheduled to be operational soon.”
Highlighting the importance of the Gulf market to the company, Juhantalo comments: “We are active in the Russian, Western European and South-east Asian markets. However, our current focus is on the Gulf, which is contributing one-third of the company’s total revenue. There are many projects at the final negotiation stages and we hope to grab a larger share of the market in years to come.”
“We are convinced about the huge potential the market offers, as demand has been continuously on the rise over the past few years due to the escalating construction activity throughout the country and especially in Dubai. The existing plants are booked for a long time and there is a great need for new facilities in order to meet the demands.”
Managed by a group of experts who have extensive experience in plant building and technology development, the company has a state-of-the-art production plant in Finland. “We have been operating as a company since 1994. However, our key personnel have a lot more experience and know-how to deliver the most technically-advanced, high-performance plants and equipment. Right now, we have around 50 plants operational across the continents and on an average we build and supply four to six plants a year,” he mentions.
X-Tec extends a complete package of services along with the plants and equipment to its client. “From staff training to initial production supervision, technical advice and even spare part inventory planning, we stay all the way with the client and ensure a smooth sailing for them from the very beginning. From the date of signing the contract, it’s approximately a two-year process before the client is fully capable of taking control of the plant,” he explains. “Today one of the most important means of contact is the Internet. We get lot of inquiries from the Middle East also through our home page www.x-tec.fi.”
“Both the technical knowledge and the skill to transfer the know-how to the customers’ specialists and operators are important attributes of a machinery supplier – and X-Tec’s references and track-record prove its excellence in these areas,” he concludes.