Jamal Amrhar, General Manager, Construction Material Chemical Industries (CMCI) • Interview

GENERAL MANAGER, CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES (CMCI)

How would you evaluate new technologies with regard to knowledge transfer and the human talent in Saudization?

For the past few years, we have been pushing for Saudization, as we invest heavily in Saudization. We recruit talented Saudis that have studied in the Kingdom or abroad. Our HR department has Saudization as its main focus, and this is a policy within the whole group. This future is for Saudi Arabia, which is why we are finding Saudis to fill many positions in the head office and the entire country.

Can you tell us about your partnerships with Aramco and Saudi Electricity Company and how you continue to pursue collaborations and expand your clientele?

First, having innovative products opens many doors and attracts major players like Aramco. We also need to have product localization, as it is a driver to develop business in Saudi Arabia. We try to use a majority of local raw materials. In fact, this is all linked: we try to have a high score to be able to push our locally manufactured products. We have a team in technical service with consultants to meet with large groups to promote products and do local testing. We have 10-12% of the market share with our innovative products. The aim is to start producing those products locally so that we are no longer importing. The beauty of doing business as CMCI and being a part of Khalifa Algosaibi Group is that we act quickly without needing excessive approvals. The board is efficient, which makes the process effective.

What has been your success with exports?

We are still pushing exports to Africa. We are currently at the level of 12-15% for export volume. We have conducted many market surveys in Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. We have not yet made a decision, because we are still looking for the right partner for distribution. We are thinking bigger, so Australia is another place we are currently targeting to develop some of our innovative products. We will start with a small setup that would grow slowly and organically. We are open to acquisitions as well, depending on the opportunities that arise.