Economy Middle East speaks to Mohammed Al Naimi, CEO of ACT Group, on the impact of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 on the industrial sector. Mohammed Al Naimi highlights the vision’s role in propelling the sector and supporting Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification efforts away from hydrocarbons. Moreover, Al Naimi sheds light on the evolving labor market with national strategies like Saudization increasing citizen participation in the labor force. Finally, Al Naimi also highlights the ACT Group’s efforts in waste-to-energy projects and the initiatives it has adopted to reduce its environmental impact and promote sustainability.
With Vision 2030 just around the corner, how are some of the changes affecting the industries you operate in?
In Saudi Arabia, mega projects like Neom and Qiddiya are increasing market demand in our line of work, our services.
As a crane and lifting company, we have really seen the difference since the start of Vision 2030. We are getting more orders and inquiries for our services in all regions of the Kingdom. Therefore, we believe that the market is growing. We see high demand and we have a positive future for Saudis.
As a carrying and heavy transportation company, we see a bigger demand in the sector than in the oil and petrochemical sector. We have a lot of requirements and we do very critical jobs that are positive to our economies. We do a lot of transportation between Jeddah, Dammam and Al-Khobar. These cities are changing.
The country is moving away from the oil and gas sector. How is that affecting the sectors that you also operate in?
In our sector, we depend on industrial lines. As we know, Saudi Arabia is investing a lot in the industrial and mining sectors, and in new mega projects.
I believe that nothing will change for us. Activity is increasing in our businesses. We see high demand in key sectors, whether for construction or building new cities. We believe that this is positive for us. It is giving us more traction in the market. Moreover, it allows us to order more equipment and bring in more specialists for lifting and transportation.
With all these big changes, there are many jobs being created. How is the job market looking and are the youth prepared for this change?
For Saudization, we have a good program in ACT. We do training and adopt international standards in our business.
All ACT decision-makers are of Saudi nationality. Since we order from international companies, we have contracts with them to train Saudi employees on our equipment and lines. This way, they can get more into the technical aspect of things.
In the job market, we see a lot of changes. We are seeing Saudi specialists who are doing critical jobs. Our business depends on international equipment that is not made in Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. Therefore, we give training courses on the methods of the ACT business line. We give our employees the knowledge they need, teach them how to treat customers, and how to perform lifts the right way.
We see waste-to-energy projects emerging in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. How is Saudi Arabia embracing this and what are some of the activities that you have within your group?
We are among the biggest operators in Jubail Industrial City. We have a 300,000 square-meter facility there, where oil, petrochemical, electronic and medical recycling is carried out. The government now is trying to implement more programs for recycling and reducing waste disposal. I believe Saudi Arabia’s Mwan center has very good international standards. In a few years, we believe the recycling market will see an increase.
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About Mohammed Al Naimi
Mohammed Al Naimi has been the CEO of ACT Group for over two years. During his tenure, he led a diverse portfolio of companies, overseeing their strategic direction and driving their growth. Al Naimi has successfully implemented innovative strategies at ACT Group, which led to a significant increase in revenues and market expansion.
Mohammed Al Naimi places great emphasis on fostering a culture of collaboration and empowering his teams to achieve their full potential. He has successfully cultivated a high-performing workforce through effective leadership and mentorship.
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