JEDDAH -- A SR100 million crane manufacturing facility as part of a Saudi-Turkey collaboration is being set up near Haraaj in south Jeddah, a team of Turkish businessmen said on Sunday.
The team, comprising Konya-based Kombassan Holding's Chairman Hasim Sahin, Vice Chairman Ahmet San and Executive Committee member Serdar Bayburf, and Bulent Tasci of Ekoloji Insaat, a construction consultant, said they were on a visit to explore business prospects in the context of the ongoing construction boom and also developments related to six new cities Kingdomwide.
"The crane factory, expected to become operational within three months, will initially manufacture 50 cranes of all sizes under the Kombassan Group's 'Acar' brandname for the construction sector," Sahin told Arab News in an interview.
Acar has become the group's brandname in cranes. Acar Hydraulics produces knuckle-boom hydraulic mobile cranes, telescoping hydraulic mobile cranes, rotating and non-rotating tree transplanting machinery and various hydraulic equipment, Kombassan Group Chairman Hasin Sahin said. "Acar brand has become synonymous with the 'name of the crane' slogan."
Acar Hydraulics is one of the three rotating and non-rotating tree transplanting machinery manufacturers in the world. These machines are eco-friendly and serve the green environment and nature.
Acar hydraulics, which proved its total quality concept by receiving ISO 9001-9002 quality management certificate, is maintaining the standard by competing with its own products and leaving its European competitors behind in the crane field, especially in respect of the extension dimensions and lifting capacities.
According to Sahin, the group has investments in a wide range of industrial activity including construction and construction materials, marble and mining, leather, textile, paper, carton and packaging, technology and machinery, food, supermarkets and petroleum products, as well as tourism, communications and social affairs,
It started its activities in Konya in 1989 in the printing sector. The group is on the verge of becoming a world company through its investments, which it has made in Turkey and various other countries.
In Turkey, it has an integrate paper factory and a printing and packaging factory in Konya, a carton factory in Muratli/Tekirdag, printing and packaging factory, and paper, decorations and notebook factory in Istanbul and Kozoglu Marketing Inc. based in Istanbul.
"The Kombassan Group has speeded up is activities in the field of machinery because it understands the importance of machinery in world technology," Sahin said. One of the group's recent addition as is a ball-bearing plant in Romania.
The group's annual turnover average $750 million, he said, adding that it is a public company with 75,000 shareholders. It has commercial offices in some Middle East and Islamic countries.
By K.S. Ramkumar
© Arab News 2008
