Rajesh Seth, Managing Director, the Red Sea Cable Company (RESCAB) • Interview
In order to be quality suppliers for Saudi Arabia and countries in the region, RESCAB looks for ways to add complementary products to its portfolio and develop improved manufacturing processes.
“We consider environment protection as our corporate social responsibility and apply techniques that are cost effective and environmentally friendly.”
How does RESCAB fit under Al-Abdullatif Group, and what are your main areas of focus?
Al-Abdullatif Group is involved in industrial activities and real estate. As a significant player in the industry, we manufacture and trade carpets, industrial textiles, cables, cement, chemicals, floor coverings, and furniture. We found that despite cables being a separate product entity for us, they also fit into the product lines for real estate and development. Therefore, given the group’s strategy to be one of the strong players in infrastructure, we added cable to our portfolio. We started in 2008 as a power cable manufacturing company with low voltage aluminum and copper cables. In 2013, we decided to go into medium-voltage power cables, since we identified an opportunity in this segment.
What are the company’s efforts to keep in line with the environmental changes Saudi is witnessing?
We have always been cautious of the waste generated by any of our business ventures. Waste should be kept to a minimum, since we are using plastic and manmade fibers in processes. Where metal is concerned, you can recover 100%, but materials such as XLPE and PVC cannot be recovered 100%. We use an in-house in-line facility that reprocesses these non-recyclable materials and utilizes them to ensure minimum waste. We consider environment protection as our corporate social responsibility and apply techniques that are cost effective and environmentally friendly.
How is RESCAB keeping ahead of technological and innovative trends arising in Saudi Arabia?
RESCAB is mainly focusing on intelligent information system to help process control at various production stages. Market demands are regularly evaluated to ensure product enhancements. The requirements of the cables for various sectors, such as oil and gas, are entirely different from power transmission cables. Our technical team in association with marketing team continues to explore the best way to produce, enhance the product line, and absorb the technology in our daily operations. Customer being at the center, we use IT technologies to ensure faster response and quick service.
Can you tell us about the opportunities for your group in the real estate sector?
As a group, we have been working on the real estate sector, and we are looking at developing beachside residential and commercial buildings in a large area. We are currently in the concept building stage, and we see this as an opportunity because we have identified growth potential in Saudi Arabia in this segment. The trends in the Kingdom are extremely encouraging for the development of residences and allied facilities.
RESCAB exports many of its products. Who are your export partners, and which sectors have the highest demand for your products?
We have been exporting to Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, and Jordan. As a matter of fact, the current demography of the Middle East has led to export needs wherever a rebuilding or reconstruction process is underway. That is the focus for the next few years: to have a greater presence in GCC countries and fulfill the demand in the construction segment. Demand is increasing for power cables for residential and power distribution sectors. Meanwhile, Iraq and Sudan have high demands for medium-voltage cables.
What are the efforts of RESCAB in building PPPs and aligning with Vision 2030?
Our focus is to be the quality suppliers for the Saudi Electricity Company and the ministries. RESCAB is an entity that is ready for any project of any size and in which it can participate as an equity partner or a technology partner. In addition to aligning with Vision 2030, we are developing local products with our manufacturing partners in order to help them find ways to develop technology so we can produce these products locally. Finally, we are trying to identify internally areas where we can vertically integrate business, so as to have a greater dependence on products manufactured in Saudi Arabia.