Al-Raha Group for Technical Services brochure - 2016

Next generation

Next gen

Written by: Nell Walker Prod

neration

duced by: Richard Thomas

3

Tareq Harb, from Al-Raha Group for Technical Services’s power systems division, tells us how his team’s sector has grown into a trusted supplier to Saudi Arabia’s foremost electricity company

T

he Al-Raha Group for Technical Services – or RGTS – has enjoyed great success and quality of expansion since its establishment in 1986. Today, the company specialises in supply chain management services, repair and refurbishment of aerospace ground support equipment, special purpose vehicles, and power. Based in Saudi Arabia, it aims to become a hugely trusted supplier of parts, support services, personnel, and equipment to suit the requirements of its clients.

The company prides itself on its integrity and focus on customer requirements, applying advanced technology, innovation, and solid business management to its professional relationships. It chooses to recognise its suppliers and clients as partners, ensuring respect from all sides, and cementing RGTS’s reputation as one of high-quality standards.

Power systems division One segment of RGTS’s expansive business is the power systems division, led by Business Unit Manager Tareq Harb, who explains the role of his sector within the RGTS umbrella: “Our main task is the supply, rental and maintenance of diesel generators,” he says. “We have both medium speed and fast speed engines; we supply from 50 up to 5,000 kVa generators, and on a rental basis, we offer from 50 to 2,500 kVa per single unit and up to 100MW for a complete power plant.

This is what we have been doing since 2009.”

Harb has worked with RGTS for a decade, and is now in control of the power systems division’s technical department: “Here we have around 40 employees; 35 of them are technicians and engineers, and the other five are an operations manager, a service manager, a sales manager, and two sales representatives.”

1200 Number of jobs to be supported

by Al-Raha Group for Technical

“It requires some time to be a strong competitor, but with the aid of our future projects, we will achieve our goals” – Tareq Harb, Business Unit Manager

The company finds most of its employees through the manufacturers from which it buys.

Most of the power division’s generators come from Cummins Power Generation, and to a lesser extent, Volvo, and Kohler: “Employees we find via these companies are already trained; in the case of Cummins, at its headquarters in Dubai. Most of it is basic training, not deep technical training – that happens on the job.”

Powerful partnerships RGTS’s power division’s main function is as a supplier for the Saudi Electric Company, Saudi Arabia’s foremost electric utility business. It maintains 19 power plants across the kingdom, and has a monopoly on the services it provides. It currently holds two contracts with RGTS, and is working towards another three: “The total value of the contracts is around 100 million Saudi riyal,” Harb explains. “The duration for these contracts is three years per contract, and is focussed on power generation for remote areas, specifically villages. For the past five years, we’ve worked almost exclusively with the Saudi Electricity Company.”

However,

Harb’s division sees a future beyond its major partner: “Starting last year we’ve been working on other divisions. We are partnering up with the government and will receive some contracts for the supply and installation of generators for a few government ministries, as well as in the private sector. We already have a few small projects in the private sector.

We’re not necessarily close to becoming international, but we’d like to be regional and start working in neighbouring countries.”

Most of the team’s projects are based in the Northern Borders Province of Saudi Arabia, specifically the capital city, Arar. “We have a chief maintenance centre there, and this maintenance system controls all of the technicians and engineers in that area,” says Harb. “Plus we have our main offices here in Riyadh, our main workshop, and beyond.

AAGS Electrical simulator station

Generator systems control software

“We have plans to extend into different parts of the private sector”

The complex work is undertaken in Riyadh while the minor jobs are done on-site.”

Looking to the future What sets RGTS’s power systems divisions apart from around seven other competitors sharing the market is its determination to grow. “We have plans to extend into different parts of the private sector,” Harb explains, “such as the construction industry. We also plan to start installing generators and standby generators in hospitals and medical centres, but we’re more interested in construction and petrochemicals. We’ll be putting in a big order for new generators, starting with 100 units for now, and expect to receive the order in the next couple of months. Then, once the units arrive, we’ll have new sales employees in place alongside our existing technical staff.”

With regards to future improvement, the

company is offering specific training courses for its technicians and engineers, and is hiring between five and 10 employees in new positions every year. It also allows partners like the Saudi Electricity Company the chance to visit its facilities, which strengthens the relationship.

Harb concludes: “Within the Saudi Electricity Company, we are a strong competitor; outside of this, we are progressing more slowly. It requires some time to be a strong competitor, but with the aid of our future projects, we will achieve our goals.�

Al-Raha Group for Technical Services Kingdom Tower, 24th floor. Riyadh – Saudi Arabia +966-112 74 0893 +966-275 7983 ext 36 Tareq.harb@rgtsgroup.com www.rgtsgroup.com