CCO Abdulaziz Sherbiny, chairman and CEO Mohammed Sherbiny (centre) and COO Majed Sherbiny

FOR almost three decades, Sherbiny Group has been bringing technology and expertise from around the world to the Middle East to help build a vibrant and modern business in the region.

“Sherbiny represents some of the leading American and European companies by marketing their products and services in the Middle East,” says a proud Mohammed Sherbiny, the chairman and CEO of the company.

Taking a big leap now, the group is planning a significant expansion and upgradation of its manufacturing and services activities over the next few years. To start with, the family-owned group is planning to set up new joint ventures with foreign collaborators to strengthen the local manufacturing capabilities by bringing in the latest technology and know-how.

All the group’s manufacturing activities for various sectors including oil and gas are undertaken under the newly setup company Sherbiny Systems.

“Sherbiny is dedicated to becoming the preferred brand of service and manufacturing by infusing the wisdom of the past with the innovations of tomorrow. A significant expansion is planned in the next few years to create the ‘total solution’ concept which revolves around customer needs and expectations. The new joint venture companies are being set up at the highest standards of quality management and production,” says Abdulaziz Sherbiny, chief commercial officer (CCO) of the company.

The group is particularly keen to bring the latest technological know-how to support and strengthen local manufacturing capabilities. “In line with the government initiatives to support local industries, we are in the process of setting up joint venture companies with blue-chip international manufacturers. This will strengthen the existing local manufacturing capabilities whilst bringing in the latest technology. Parallel with this, creating jobs for talented Saudi workforce and training them in an enabling ambience where the maximum self-actualisation of every employee can be achieved,” he adds.

Apart from the Sherbiny Systems division, the group has three other divisions : Sherbiny Chemicals and Environmental Solutions, which provides quality products, services and materials to a range of local and international business entities within the chemical and environmental industry; Sherbiny Industrial Services, which offers a wide range of after-sales service solutions to support clients from the earliest stages of planning, engineering, all the way to installation and commissioning; and the oldest and core division; Sherbiny for commerce, which is specialised in supplying high a vast range of quality products in oil and gas downstream applications.

“Each of the four companies has specific characteristics that make it a profit centre by itself. What is common between them is the dedicated team of engineers and staff with vast experience,” says Mohammed Sherbiny.

Sherbiny for Commerce division provides electrical, instrumentation, mechanical and automation products to oil refineries, the petrochemical sector, power plants and desalination and sewerage industries in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Sherbiny has established a strong base for all the represented products in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region.

Chief operating officer (COO) Majed Sherbiny says that several development steps have been taken during the past years in the company’s best interests. There was machinery augmentation along with the recruitment of additional engineers to improve capability and take in more jobs.

The company’s network was upgraded with new servers facilitating better communications between departments and company’s local and international branches. A new ERP system is being implemented to improve order tracking, the revenue cycle and accounting for all activities.

“All these developments showed on the sales and performance figures at the end of last year and will continue to show in coming years,” the COO observes.

Talking about the business performance over the past year, Majed Sherbiny says: “The previous few years were about steady growth. Over this time, Sherbiny concluded several exclusive agreements with leading international manufacturers covering the territory of GCC and Saudi Arabia. This created the opportunity for vertical and horizontal expansion and was backed up by an investment in new warehousing and service centre facilities to give the sufficient support for the new product range.”

The group has a grip on regional developments on the commercial and industrial fronts, which is equipping it to better prepare for the future. “By understanding and studying all the surrounding factors that could drastically affect business, we make our plan accordingly to the market. This is carefully done by gathering all the inputs and making a thorough analysis of all the conditions and factors. This enables us to know our strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats,” comments the chairman.

Going forward, the group sees continued growth in 2013 and beyond. “We see progressive growth as various projects are underway in Saudi Arabia and the region. We are positive about the market forecast and see continuous investments in all market sectors,” he adds.

“Innovative thinking always drives the company to reach the next new level of cutting-edge solutions. We put special emphasis on engineered solutions. Solutions those are up to date in terms of technology and sophistication. These cornerstones build the Sherbiny way of business: combining the appropriate methods with common sense to provide cost effective solutions. We also opened new branches in yanbu and Bahrain recently which truly reflects the company’s progress,” Majed Sherbiny says.

Says the chairman: “As a family-owned company we see and do business in a different way. We always bring our family values and heritage into what we do. Integrity and responsibility ensures that our care and attention goes beyond the product and directly to the customer.”

The origins of the group go back to 1986 when MHSC began operations with just two or three agencies. 1997 was the beginning of real growth and in the subsequent period it received a number of additional agencies as well as awards and recognition from various suppliers and customers.

Today, the group operates a service facility, a manufacturing facility and a warehousing facility in Al Khobar. It has branches in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia; Manama, Bahrain; Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The group has recently built its new spacious headquarters in Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia and has also opened a new branch in Bahrain which truly reflects the company’s progress. Over the last three decades, the Saudi-owned company has grown into a large business.

The awards from customers highlighted the excellent performance of the products and timely delivery of supplies, says Mohammed Sherbiny.

“Hard work, constant upgrading of company facilities and well-planned growth have led sherbiny group to this happy state of affairs,” says Mohammed Sherbiny, whose long experience in fields associated with the company goes back to more than 40 years.

“Each company has its own strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths lie in the teamwork we established from day one. This culture is very important for the success of any company. We were very keen to preserve this culture and teamwork. When we recruit new staff we ensure that they share the same values and spirit. Another of our strengths is the experience of our staff,” he adds.

Mohammed Sherbiny, who graduated as a mechanical engineer from Michigan State University, US, says patience and dedication helped the group go through difficult days. That was in the period immediately after the Gulf war when everything seemed to have shut down and demand for industrial goods was low. “Patience, determination and focus helped our business to survive and grow,” he recalls.

As in many other companies, highly skilled workforce is a challenge to Sherbiny. “I believe the lack of skilled people to shop from and recruit for the company is the biggest challenge especially now when there is fierce competition between companies within Saudi Arabia and the GCC region to recruit the best staff they can find,” says Mohammed Sherbiny.

As a vendor and contractor to Sabic and Saudi Aramco, two of the biggest companies in Saudi Arabia, Sherbiny feels the group is very much part of their contribution to Saudi industry.

The future looks good and bright not only for our group but also for Saudi industry, Mohammed Sherbiny says, particularly with the ”strong steps” King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has taken towards growing the economy and devoting oil profits for economic diversification through the opening of new industries.