Naji Jreijiri

At the end of July the group posted a strong set of second-quarter financial results, proving that its recent restructuring has been successful in restoring profitability. Meanwhile, ABB faces an extraordinary series of opportunities for new business in the Middle East.

'We will be levering ABB's strength in power transmission and distribution and related voltage reduction systems,' explains senior vice president Naji Jreijiri who joined the group three years' ago after two decades in the French IT industry. 'Then there are all the electrical systems for major building projects.

'The $4.2 billion extension of the Dubai International Airport is one target for us, so too are Palm Island and the new free zone cities. Saudi Arabia is also looking at massive investment in the power sector linked to privatization'.

Power technology is one side of the business of ABB - automation is its other major focus. This means large-scale automation of oil and gas facilities, petrochemical plants, food processing, cement production, chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as metals and mineral plants.

In the Middle East ABB has more than 5,000 staff, with 1,400 in Saudi Arabia alone. There is a 35,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, and a 100,000 sq ft factory in Egypt where more than 3,000 are employed.

'Our strategy is to develop and increase the local content of our solutions by using local competencies,' explains Mr. Jreijiri. 'ABB has always contributed to the transfer of technology and local training.

'This is a great time to be in the Middle East and this region has a lot of room for growth and development. ABB has been a part of such development for 50 years and we will be contributing our skills to the latest boom.'

The orders have been pouring in for ABB. There was a $90 million submarine cable for Saudi Arabia in January, $50-60 million substations in the KSA, and the latest win is a $49 million underground cable system for Abu Dhabi.

At the same time, the expansion of aluminum production capacity in Qatar offers a great opportunity for ABB, and the opening up of the Iranian market offers huge power grid and petrochemical opportunities.

'So often the development of power transmission systems in this part of the world runs parallel with major industrial investments. Aluminium being the obvious example,' says Mr. Jreijiri. 'We have got an enormous amount of work to go for'.