Jaidah Heavy Equipment — one of Qatar’s most successful industrial businesses — has made a clear and visible statement of intent in its growth ambitions with the appointment of industry veteran Altug Okay as managing director.
Okay has been with Jaidah Group for the past four years, during which time he has turned around the electrical division and transformed it into a one-stop product- and solution-provider for the industry, selling everything from conduits to transformers.
He also contributed substantially to the growth of Jaidah Group by establishing a new panel factory in Qatar, and built up the Prime Security Services business, focusing on master system integration.
The news highlights the broader commitment made by Jaidah Group to invest in and bolster one of its most successful, longest running and best-performing business divisions.
Heavy Equipment is the market leader in the distribution of construction machinery and material handling equipment. It offers a complete after-sales solution including field service, maintenance contracts, and provides access to a huge variety of parts.
For more than 30 years, Jaidah Heavy Equipment has established an enviable reputation for supporting the running and maintenance of much of the key infrastructure on which the country depends.
The business provides privileged access to many of the world’s most renowned heavy equipment manufacturing brands, and the products they supply. To name just a few, these include Japanese manufacturer of construction, mining and utility equipment Komatsu; Bobcat, the international manufacturer of loaders, excavators, utility products, telehandlers and attachments; crane manufacturer Palfinger; Sany Group, the manufacturer of concrete machinery, cranes, road machinery, port machinery and wind turbines; and UD Trucks, the manufacturer of diesel trucks and special-purpose vehicles.
Jaidah Heavy Equipment also encompasses Industrial Supply Division (ISD), which has for more than 45 years provided businesses in Qatar with personal protective gear, tools, garage & industrial equipment, metal fabrication equipment and consumables, cleaning equipment, material handling equipment and shelving. It stocks more than 22,000 items, making it one of the biggest stock holders in the industry. ISD distributes brands such as Still, Kone Cranes, Tennant, Redwing Shoes and Cool Space.
Its formula for success has led to a recent run of new contract wins. The business’ heavy equipment is found on construction sites at the length and breadth of the country. Its trucks and buses transport manpower and materials across every corner of Qatar and can be found on every street and road. Jaidah Heavy Equipment is now at an inflexion point and set to consolidate its recent performance with a number of measures designed to extend its strong growth trajectory into the future.
With Okay’s leadership, Jaidah Heavy Equipment is undertaking an ambitious and aggressive hiring plan to bring in a range of senior leaders with extensive industry experience and expertise in areas including business development, aftersales and customer relationship management and more.
The business is also heavily investing in upgrading and refurbishing its premises to produce an ultra-modern facility that encompasses a showroom, workshop and care centre, all under one roof. Strong progress has been made on the site since the business temporarily vacated its former premises to facilitate this development. The entire sales and marketing teams and back office staff are expected to relocate to their former office from their current location, just a short distance away in the Jaidah Industrial Complex, at the end of the year.
The business is also rolling out an in-depth programme of training, mentoring and leadership development to enable teams to embed sales support, aftersales and exceptional standards of customer care across the business. Through participation, customer representatives and sales teams are able to get even closer to the businesses that Jaidah Heavy Equipment supports, ensuring industry-leading levels of satisfaction and quality.
Jaidah Heavy Equipment is also undertaking a broader digital transformation, involving an increasing shift to a new e-commerce platform that will speed up a customer’s ability to order spare parts and provide greater levels of visibility around inventory and parts distribution. This will also lead to increased convenience and satisfaction by enabling teams to respond in real time and fulfil customers’ requirements ever more quickly.
Commenting on the appointment of Altug Okay, Mohamed Jaidah, Group executive director, said, “An industry veteran and a proven leader with an impressive track-record of growth and success in support of our Group’s objectives, Altug is the ideal fit for our business. He understands intimately the needs and challenges encountered by the businesses managing Qatar’s most significant industrial development projects and is perfectly placed to help move Jaidah Heavy Equipment forward.
“His appointment, together with the multitude of programmes and initiatives that we’re rolling out, is clear evidence of our ambitions and expectations. We’re enormously excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, and with Altug’s leadership I have absolute confidence that this business will be able to fulfil its true potential.”
For more than 30 years, Jaidah Heavy Equipment has established an enviable reputation for supporting the running and maintenance of much of the key infrastructure on which the country depends
