Welcome to the up-and-coming Saudi Arabia

It’s finally time again! After the successful first part of the Middle East Road Show to the United Arab Emirates before the Christmas holidays, it’s now time for the second tour destination, Saudi Arabia! Admittedly, organising the dates there was anything but easy and so I kept my travel arrangements very flexible as not all the interviews had been finally confirmed – a circumstance that, as I was told by various sources, is probably fairly typical for the region. Appointments are often decided or declined at short notice, and getting feedbacks can be difficult anyway. I can confirm this, because I don’t know how many new contacts I’ve tried to make in the last few months and how many of them have so far remained completely fruitless. But the Editour wouldn’t be the same if everything didn’t fall into place in the end – even if it was by pure luck. That’s why I had decided that I would travel so that I could make an appointment on Sunday if necessary. Sunday is a normal working day in Saudi Arabia.

It’s Friday and, as usual, I set off early from my adopted home of Vienna in the direction of the airport before travelling to Riyadh with a stopover in Frankfurt. After my arrival in Riyadh, the immigration procedure is so efficient that I’m at the baggage carousel after just a few minutes and shortly afterwards I’m at the Careem taxi pick-up stand (Careem is the equivalent of Uber in parts of the Gulf and MENA states). Less than an hour later, I’m finally at my hotel where I am staying for the next few days. I just about make it to the restaurant buffet before falling into bed dead tired.

After a sensational breakfast on Saturday, I’m tempted to step outside for a short time. Although from inside it looked like it must be boiling hot outside, I’m amazed at how cool it is and I’m glad to still have a jacket on. I walk the 3km or so from my hotel to the Kingdom Centre, Riyadh’s landmark. After a cappuccino, I enjoy a sensational view of the city from the skybridge on the 99th floor of the building. A good hour later, I’m back at the hotel and back in full scheduling mode. Will there be a meeting for tomorrow at short notice? We’ll see. Fortunately, I have confirmed appointments from Monday.

As it turned out, Sunday didn’t work out as planned. But now it’s Monday 19 February. Today I have an appointment with Mr Krishna, the General Manager of plastics processor Future Plus. My temporary Editourmobil has turned out to be a little smaller, this time, for organisational reasons it is simply a car, but it is also efficient and, above all, has lower emissions. Arriving in the industrial area south of the city, I am greeted by Mr Krishna and his team and Mr Degasperi, area representative of the Austrian mould manufacturer Z-Moulds. The company, which produces preforms on Husky systems, recently installed an Engel injection moulding machine with a mould from Z-Moulds for cap production, and this will officially go into operation very shortly. Future Plus is part of the Future Plast group, a preform and closure manufacturer from Abu Dhabi, UAE. After an interesting conversation, it’s back to the hotel before the next interview at the Alsad plastics processing plant on Tuesday. When I arrive back in the city later, I end up at a pizzeria with really good reviews on Google and realise the reviews are right! Sensational place…

It’s early when I set off for Alsad Modern & Advanced Co. a coffee at hand. I also have all my luggage with me, because after my appointment today I’m travelling straight on to Jeddah, my next location on my round trip in Saudi Arabia. Although my appointment isn’t until 10.30 a.m., I still have around 150 kilometres to drive north. Arriving punctually in what feels like an industrial area somewhere in the desert, I am greeted by Mr Mohammad Abdel Moneim, the Operations Manager responsible, in the very bright and inviting offices. The company produces preforms and closures on a large scale with an annual capacity of eight billion units. The products are then used within the United Seqa Group, a group that owns a number of water brands and to which Alsad belongs. During the factory tour, I happen to bump into technical staff from IMD Vista, who are just getting a new inspection unit for closures up and running. After the exciting tour, I set off in the direction of Riyadh airport for my domestic flight to Jeddah. Arriving there in the early evening and unpacking at the hotel, I make my way to an Indian restaurant. I haven’t had Indian food for ages (probably 14 days) and so it’s time for a butter chicken with a (naturally) alcohol-free mint cocktail, both sensationally good!

But back to the schedule, it’s Wednesday 21 February and I’m on my way to Gulf Packaging Group, where I have an appointment with VP Operations Mr Mohammed Najmuddin. He has been with the company for 30 years and is described by his boss as the real boss, among other things because he was instrumental in initiating and shaping many of the processes that have brought success. Mr Najmuddin recognised early on the coming triumph of PET. The company manufactures preforms and closures, among other things, but is also strong in the area of films for various packaging needs. After a tour of the plant, I meet the actual VP and CEO Mr Ali Hashim and the responsible Business Development Manager Randa Hashim.

And on we go, because I have an appointment for the afternoon near the holy city of Mecca, namely at the water bottler Makkah Water. After a 45-minute drive and some disagreements at the gate and with the security there, I am allowed to pass and meet Mr Bapu Kumaresh, the Operations Manager for the injection moulding part of the company, which has relied on vertical integration for many years and produces preforms and closures using equipment from Netstal, Husky, Sipa and Huayan. Seven Krones lines are installed in Makkah Water’s bottling section, and the highlight here is Krones’ largest water treatment system in the world to date.

A long day comes to an end and I’m on my way back to the hotel. Tomorrow is a public holiday, Saudi Founding Day, and on Friday, a day of worship here and elsewhere in the Arab states, it will also be difficult to make appointments. So I prepare myself for some paperwork and maybe a trip to King Fahd’s Fountain, the landmark of Jeddah, will be possible.

Yours,

Kay Barton