As the sole manufacturer of concrete batching plant in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia-based Al Kifah Batching Plant (KBP) has seen tremendous demand for its products in the region and is now actively expanding its capacity to meet the anticipated surge in business.

“In the first three months of this year, we have already manufactured 10 batching plants which have been delivered to various customers in the region,” says Abdul Rahman Saleh Al Katheer, general manager of KBP. “Currently, 21 plants are under fabrication and we are expecting further orders over the next few months. The approximate value of these orders is around SR45 million ($12.01 million).”
“Due to the current boom in construction, the readymix business is flourishing. Hence, in 2007 we notched sales of SR45 million and we expect sales in this year to be around SR 55 million,” he adds.
Promoted by the Al Kifah Holding Company, KBP is headquartered at Al Hasa in Hofuf and has satellite offices elsewhere in the kingdom in Dammam and Jeddah as well as Dubai in the UAE along with an office at Wolverhampton in the UK. The company is manned by 150 highly-qualified administrative and technical staff.
KBP fabricates concrete batching plant and accessories, including silos, radial conveyors, hoppers, bins and spare parts. Its factory, which has been producing ISO-certified batching plant since 1993, has a production capacity of 30 to 40 complete concrete batching plants per year. It is equipped with automatic, semi-automatic machines and equipment to carrying out the production processes under the supervision of efficient management and experienced production staff. Besides the manufacture of computerised and semi-automatic concrete batching plant and components, KBP also undertakes the refurbishment, upgrade and repair old plants and components.
KBP’s facilities are spread over an area of 36,000 sq m and the company has earlier this year expanded its warehouse and lathe machines workshop.
“In view of the market demand, we are setting up a new production unit which will manufacture water chillers and ice-making plant for the concrete industry to meet the demands of clients both within and outside Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, we have increased our land area where a new building has been constructed and expect production to start by the middle of this year,” Al Katheer says.
“Over the past few years, we have strengthened our market position with business being excellent and growing year on year. We have also established our leadership position not only for providing high-quality products that have the prestigious ISO certification but also because of an expert sales and distribution network. As with the rest of the region, our domestic market (Saudi Arabia) is witnessing a boom in the construction sector and is become one of the best markets for investors. Due to the inflation in price of materials, we have had to increase the prices of our products as well,” he points out.
To boost its sales figures as well as production quality, KBP has also placed orders for new machinery that will help speed up the manufacturing process. These include a CNC press brake machine, three overhead cranes from the UK-based Servacrane and two lathe machines also from the UK.
Among the more unusual orders received by the company was for a mobile batching plant. “We have recently received an order from Aramco to manufacture a mobile plant for them which is to be erected on a ship as this plant will travel by water from one place to another for construction purposes,” he comments.

Innovative designs
With its batching plant operating across the Middle East, KBP has maintained a reputation for adopting the latest innovative design techniques, offering customers a range of specifications and environmental considerations from which to choose.
“Our quality production and simple inexpensive erection has gained recognition not just in the Gulf, but in Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon,” Al Katheer continues. “We offer quick after-sales service by our locally resident and highly qualified technicians.”
Al Katheer believes that KBP’s major contribution to the construction industry has been the introduction of computerised batching plant, adding that their labour and cost efficiencies are the main factors that make a considerable impact in the construction industry.