Following a very successful innings last year, leading specialised contractor Cre-Tec is looking at broadening its horizons in a bid to offer its expertise to a number of other countries in the Middle East.

“2006 was a record year for Cre-Tec, during which we executed more than 250 major projects in Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” Rabih Fidawy, general manager of the company. “We expect 2007 to be equally successful and are confident of achieving our targets.”
Fidawy, who has had extensive experience in the field since 1991, launched the company in Saudi Arabia in 2000. The Qatari operation was started four years later.
In order to make further inroads into the Middle East markets, Cre-tec – which operates from Saudi Arabia and Qatar – is firming plans to open branches in the UAE and Jordan, which is currently the focus of major construction activity.
Cre-Tec provides specialised contracting services in various fields such as waterproofing and roofing, repair and strengthening of concrete, industrial flooring, cracks injection, internal tank lining, sport courts, lining of artificial ponds, stamped concrete and walling textures.
“As the Gulf’s leading contractor in concrete restoration and protection services, we have been serving the industry for nearly a decade with innovative techniques and technical expertise that meet our client’s needs.
“Our dedicated workforce provides practical solutions for concrete and corrosion problems and implements the highest standards of craftsmanship to complete any project.
“With reliability, integrity and specialisation, we plan to expand the business into new markets within the region and assess our potential for growth,” says Fidawy.
Cre-Tec has carried out a diverse range of works for numerous projects in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Some of its major projects in Saudi Arabia include:
• Concrete repair works involving areas of 3,000 sq m each at Qassim Cement Plant and King Saud University;
• Concrete strengthening with carbon fibre for the Imam Mohd bin Saud Islamic University project;
• Waterproofing and roofing works for Royal Commission headquarters at Riyadh involving an area of the 25,000 sq m and National Guard project (42,000 sq m);
• 25,000 sq m of industrial flooring at the Sadhan Hypermarket at Riyadh and the 50,000 sq m at the Red Sea Mall at Jeddah;
• Injection works at 9,000 sq m King Abdulaziz Military Academy; and
• 100,000 sq m of lining of artificial ponds at Nofa Equestrian Resort; and
• Stamped concrete works over an area of 10,000 sq m at Tabuk Agriculture Development Company.
The company’s projects in Qatar include:
• Waterproofing works, involving an area of 15,000 sq m, at Doha Bank, which has Higgs & Halls as the main contractor and Hyder as consultant; as well as an area of 70,000 sq m for the College of Business and Computer Science;
• Tank lining (50,000 sq m) at Doha Sewage Treatment Plant;
• Stamped concrete works, involving an expanse of 20,000 sq m, at the Aspire project; and
• 35,000 sq m of industrial flooring at the Science and Technology Park.
Among its prestigious projects is the Al Obeikan Industries project in Saudi Arabia.
“We completed the fast-track Al Obeikan Industries project within a very short period of 100 days. The project entailed a variety of works including crack injection, concrete repair works, carbon fibre design and installation for foundations and walls, PVC lining and fibre-reinforced protective screed,” he adds.
The Saudi Arabia branch has over 200 labourers at site with Amer Beirouty as the construction manager, while the Qatar branch is managed by Osama Arda, the managing partner of the company. Building on his extensive experience in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Arda has managed to successfully position Cre-Tec Qatar as a market leader in carbon fibre-reinforcement, stamped concrete, tank lining and industrial flooring fields in the region.
Commenting on problems encountered by the company, Fidawy says: “Although we have a burgeoning project portfolio from a variety of clients, we are facing a major problem with securing an adequate number of labourers in Saudi Arabia.