Hidada, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of heavy engineered steel products/components in the region, is on course for large expansions.

The company, established in 1982 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Xenel Industries, has grown through measured expansions and is now a leading exporter to the GCC, Middle East and other international markets. “The growth has mirrored the economic development of Saudi Arabia and has seen the company expand its annual fabrication capacity to over 200,000 tonnes per year (tpy) from just 2,000 tpy in 1982,” a company spokesman said.
“Hidada has been on the track of steady and continual growth over the last few years.  It has achieved a 40 to 60 per cent increase in its turnover continuously in the last four years and is expected to more than double the figure in 2007 compared to 2006,” the spokesman added. 
As part of its ambition to expand its product range and add value-added products, the company is building two new plants - one whose construction is ongoing in Jeddah Industrial City, close to its Plant No 2, and expected to be operational shortly, and another one in Yanbu on waterfront land of 330,000 sq m already acquired by the company and close to the Yanbu port.  Besides, capacity additions through the addition of new state-of-the-art equipment and upgrading of existing equipment are going on in full swing in the existing plants.
In addition, it has invested in new technologies by acquiring design/detailing software such as X-Steel, AutoCAD, Bocad and CNC machines. Hidada has carried out the complete vertical integration of design engineering, fabrication and treatment facilities in-house offering clients total control through the company’s state-of-the-art monitoring system called Centralised Engineering and Operation System (CEOS).
The company is committed to total quality management. In addition to the ISO 9001: 2000 certification for the design, manufacture, painting, galvanising and erection of steel products and storage tanks, it also has ASME stamps (‘U’ ‘U2’ ‘PP’ ‘S’ ‘A’) for the manufacture of pressure vessels, fabrication and assembly of pressure piping, manufacture and assembly of boilers and assembly of power boilers at site.
Hidada has a highly qualified and dedicated workforce of over 1,100 out of which 25 per cent are Saudi nationals.
In Saudi Arabia, the company has forged close relationships with Saudi Aramco, Sabic and Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), among other establishments.
Besides the GCC region and the wider Middle East, Hidada has penetrated markets in different parts of the world, including the US, South America, Denmark, Spain, Africa and India often against stiff competition. Hidada is one of the largest suppliers of tower material to Libya and Egypt.
It has globally renowned EPC contractors as its main customers. These include Snamprogetti, Alstom Power, Bechtel, Balcke Durr, Chiyoda Corp, Fluor Corp, Foster Wheeler, Hamon Thermal, Hyundai Engineering, IHI, MHI, Mitsui Engineering, Siemens, Shaw/Stone and Webster, Technip, Tecnicas Reunidas, Uhde and Voest Alpine.
Recently, Hidada successfully executed two large projects for Saudi Aramco - turnkey contracts for the design, supply, fabrication, testing, painting, site erection and tie-in works of 11 large storage tanks at bulk plants in the northwest and southwest of Saudi Arabia.
Some of the major projects it is currently involved with or recently completed are Khurais KUC project, Qurayyah seawater plant, Khursaniyah producing facilities and the 34.5kV Khurais transmission line towers for Saudi Aramco; Rabigh PC2 (MEG) unit and Rabigh refinery expansion for Petro-Rabigh; Yansab petrochemical complex for Sabic; Zeoforming Mogas storage facility for Safra Yanbu; Jamnagar refinery complex at Gujarat for Reliance India; Whiting plant project at Indiana for Praxair USA; 380kV Shoaiba-2 transmission line towers and 380kV Jeddah North transmission line towers for SEC (West); 400kV Wadi Rabie – Elrwais and Sirte-Agdabia-Benghazy transmission lines towers for GECOL Libya; Telecommunication towers for Orascom Algeria, Iraqna, Iraq, Omantel/Oman mobile; Telecommunication towers and monopoles for Emirates Integrated Telecoms Co of UAE; distribution poles for SEC (West) and SEC(East).