With more than 14 years of extensive experience while working with leading brands across vital industrial sectors such as infrastructure, road construction, and diesel-powered equipment, Gargash Motors & General Trading’s Anas Al Shaikh has seen the construction equipment market in the UAE evolve drastically during the past years.
But then, so has the company he leads. Driven by what he describes as the country’s strategic mega projects such as the Etihad Railway project, the vast Dubai EXPO site, and many others, Gargash’s accumulation of brands such as Power Sonic, Powerplus, Aebi Schmidt are now marking it out as one of the fastest expanding providers of heavy equipment brands around.
“The Gargash product portfolio has increased in the past two years and will continue to expand to cover all the industrial sectors requirements,” he proudly tells CMME. “And our product range is not limited to the construction equipment. We are also investing heavily in sustainable/green equipment to align with the UAE vision,”
One of the newest brands in the Gargash ranks is South Korea’s concrete pump specialist KCP. He explains that partnering with KCP enables Gargash to continue to balance its green ambitions with supplying the market with the “ultimate solutions” for their operations.
“KCP is one of the leading manufacturers of concrete pumps globally offering a wide range of products that fulfills the readymix industry,” he affirms. “KCP’s unique design structure which combines Mercedes Benz’ chassis, the Rexroth hydraulic system and Strenx Steel from SSAB has led them to creating very high-end quality products.”
According to Al Shaikh, the UAE is one of the most competitive markets in the region, making it a challenging place to introduce new brands, even ones with the predigree and partners of KCP. It’s a challenge, you sense, he relishes: “We are always keen to add new brands, always keen to explore new technologies. Our mission is to be the preferred supplier to our customers,” he says. “The strategy team within Gargash is continuously exploring unique and quality products that are suitable and value-adding to customers.”
Well-established on both the UAE’s vehicle and equipment scenes, Gargash maintains an open channel with the private and government sector and a high profile at all the major events and exhibitions hosted around the region. Its suite of digital channels and platforms, meanwhile, ensure it remains one of the best-connected suppliers to its customer base in the region. The net result, Al Shaikh says, is that he and his team have a deep understanding of the needs of equipment users in the market.
“They want quality, sustainability, competitiveness, and high efficiency but the most important key for them is aftersales support. That ensures customer satisfaction,” he states firmly.
To that end, the partnership with KCP is proving to be an effective demonstration of this approach of: identifying the market’s needs and then introducing the right products at the right time: “At the start, we conducted a thorough market study to position our products. With the excellent support of KCP, we were able to decide jointly on the suitable pricing structure,” he explains. “In addition, being the Mercedes Benz dealer, we were able to evaluate the possibility of local assembly of the concrete pumps to potentially reduce the cost and enhance the lead times.”
He also believes that KCP’s successful launch demonstrates that there is still room for innovation in the UAE market: “With the KCP structure being built using STRENX steel, that is lighter and more robust that other types of steel in the market, it reduces the fuel consumption of the truck by around 20%.”
While it still a relatively new name on construction sites, KCP’s is already proving its advantages in the field: “One of our constractor customers has proven KCP pumps have the highest and most efficient flowrate when pumping concrete. They’re working faster and smoother – achieving more with less. You can actually see the productivity of that KCP pump working along-side the other branded pumps at the same project.”
Like many others in the distribution channel, Gargash has had to face up to its own challenges such as disruption in the global supply chain and the availability of space on shipping lines to get equipment into the market. Using KCP as an example, he explains how the firm has fought to mitigate these issue and ensure equipment stocks are there for customers when they need them.
“We work very closely and side-by-side with KCP to overcome these challenges by keeping adequate number of units available all the time in stock,” he adds, stating that the process is an extension of an ongoing strategy of keeping delivery times to a minimum: “We ensure adequate levels of stock from different models are always available on the ground. We want to guarantee the availability of off-the-shelf products for our customers and work closely with the manufacturing plants on a yearly basis to forecast demand for the products.”
Ultimately, Al Shaikh and Gargash understand that it must deliver to customers what they want and when they want it: “There are many strategies to build and sustain the relationships but one of the most important ways that we follow is by fulfilling the need of our customers and ensuring that what was said is done,” he says. “Moreover, our suppliers are supporting with added value packages that keeps the customers satisfied throughout the lifespan of the equipment.”
He continues: “What is unique about the UAE market, which makes it challenging, is that customers are always looking for the best products with the lowest prices. It is the financial solutions such as stretched payment plans and added value items like the extended warranty and service packages we can offer that change the dynamic of closing the deal for us.”
Fronting the Gargash operation is a sales force dealing with rental, leasing and financing with these teams complemented by a highly skilled set of engineers, who he says are continuously trained and updated on the technology and products they are supporting. He concludes by teasing an ambitious vision for Gargash.
“We are aiming to be number one in the market and the preferred supplier by investing in and developing our facilities and establishing branches across several locations withing the country. But we also want to be one the first importers of electric construction equipment that serve the UAE market.”
