The massive infrastructure renaissance that defines contemporary Saudi Arabia and its hopes for the future has opened the door to the growth of public-private cooperation in nearly all phases of development. While profit, of course, still motivates the private sector, the opportunity to participate in these massive projects designed for the benefit of the public can take precedence over traditional goals. 

“By competing for and winning contracts connected to the kingdom’s proliferating strategic projects, we are lifting the traditional ‘buy-sell hierarchy’ by serving customers better and in more effective and efficient ways. We are outpacing our competitors with this approach and we intend to maintain this momentum,” says Jotun Saudi Arabia in a statement.

With such confidence, Jotun Saudi Arabia’s market position as a leading paint manufacturer remains strong. The company secured two major contracts involving stations on the soon-to-be-completed Haramain High-Speed Railway that will connect Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the developing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The KAEC station, located in Rabigh, covers 274,000 sq m, while the Makkah Terminal covers 447,600 sq m. 

Commenting on the KAEC contract, Ahmed Monem, country sales manager – performance coatings, Jotun Saudi Arabia, says: “This is one of Jotun Saudia’s  landmark achievements, not just because of the size of the project but because of the prestige that comes with our participation in this important undertaking. For us, it represents the successful outcome of integrated teamwork that drew on the coordination of specs writing, sales and marketing activities, R&D, supply chain support and production speed. In the infrastructure sector, we are employing all our strengths to be a valuable partner in the development of Saudi Arabia.”

The current drive to establish infrastructure in Saudi has opened the market to massive private participation. With Saudi’s economy being the largest in the region, the opportunities are extremely important to private businesses. All of those participating in the infrastructure development are well aware that their efforts are making tremendous contributions to a modernising nation that is beginning to come into its own.

Jotun’s role at KAEC, as well as in the Makkah Station project, has been to provide intumescent and protective coatings for the huge amounts of steel used in the construction of the stations. Jotun’s Steelmaster line provides cellulosic fire protection to structural steel exposed to corrosive environments. It is applied directly to a substrate of structural steel and carbon steel via spray. 

Jotun’s range of Steelmaster intumescent coatings are among the most advanced in the world.

Launched in July 2014, Steelmaster 1200WF is the most efficient thin film water-borne intumescent coating offering up to 180 minutes of fire protection and can be applied both on and off-site. Steelmaster 60WB gives 60 minutes of fire protection while producing almost no odour, making it ideal for use in confined areas. All offer low VOC and exert as little negative impact on the environment as possible.

The Makkah project covers a total volume of 400,000 litres of Steelmaster and 20,000 litres of Hardtop XP RAL 9007, a two component chemically curing aliphatic acrylic polyurethane coating for use in atmospheric environments. 

“We could not have secured these contracts without the full-time dedication of our ‘penguins,” commented Monem, using the company slang for Jotun employees. “We have seen it happen in other markets and, now, we can enjoy the success that comes with a joint, integrated approach to major projects. From the technical people to the sales force to the administration, we have been able to earn a reputation for fantastic products handled by personnel who are dedicated to being more professional, more reliable and more helpful to our clients.”

For the Makkah Station project, initial efforts began one full year prior to winning the contract with Jotun’s participation in a series of meetings with the project consultant, DAR; the main contractor, Saudi bin Laden; and the steel fabricator, Roots Steel, in both Saudi Arabia and China. 

“With these networks in place, long-term relationships with major construction concerns and our involvement in numerous infrastructure projects in the kingdom, we are steadily entrenching our strong presence within the rapidly growing infrastructure sector of Saudi Arabia.”