Specifically, EBKSA will commission its dry gas seal dynamic test rig by the middle of this year, which will be one of the significant capabilities in-kingdom that will help serve a lot of customers in the oil and gas and petrochemical business

EagleBurgmann, one of the world-leading providers of industrial sealing technology, plans to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia this year, adding additional infrastructure and equipment in Al Khobar and Yanbu.

"Through this we will boost our in-kingdom capacity and capability to cater to any type of critical application," says Biju Chacko, senior sales director, EBKSA (EagleBurgmann Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), the joint venture company between EagleBurgmann and Gas Arabian Services.

Specifically, EBKSA will commission its dry gas seal dynamic test rig by the middle of this year, which will be one of the significant capabilities in-kingdom that will help serve a lot of customers in the oil and gas and petrochemical business, says Chacko.

Despite the crude price fluctuations EBKSA has done remarkably well in 2018 in terms of product sales and project executions, he says adding that the company’s strength lies in targeting a number of sectors besides just oil and gas, refinery and petrochemicals, he explains.

The success of the company, which supplies mechanical seals, seal supply systems, magnetic couplings, carbon floating ring seals, expansion joints, gaskets and packings as well as comprehensive services, lies in continuously bringing in new technology and products to the market and following that up with efficient service.

"Our multiple array of products have clicked and customers have started deriving big benefits from them. It is a continuous process," notes Chacko.

He says: "We are currently planning to unveil a raft of new sealing technologies and products in country which are specific to critical rotating equipment. We have put on trial, a number of technologies in the past few years to see how they perform within an extended timeframe."

Referring to the project market, Taher Saeed, finance director, EBKSA, says currently more and more infrastructure projects are coming up. The project market in the region is dependent on the oil price situation. If the oil price goes up, there is a chance that the project market also will pick up.

Chacko says that between 2008 and 2018 many mega projects came up in Saudi Arabia, particularly those of Aramco and Sabic and a number of huge joint ventures projects such as Sadara, Satorp, Yasref and PetroRabigh as well many projects in water and power. During this period EBKSA established itself as one of the leading sealing solution provider in kingdom.

The Saudi Vision 2030 is a very important part of the company strategy and EBKSA is very much aligned with it in terms of Saudisation, adding local content and building local capabilities, points out Chacko. On Saudi Aramco’s IKTVA requirements, the company is working towards it although it is quite challenging.

Looking at the future, Chacko says EBKSA sees good prospects in Saudi Arabia, which has world-class plants and oil reserves "There are huge opportunities in-kingdom. To tap them we have to set up business with good infrastructure, efficient after-sales service and a well-organised supply chain network," he observes.

Saeed says Saudi Arabia is a vibrant economy where income comes from two sources – oil and non-oil. Having given an impetus to the non-oil sectors, the kingdom is bound to see healthy economic growth.

Chacko points out that one of the highlights of the kingdom is that it has never lagged behind in technology adoption. Any new technology launched is immediately assessed and lapped up by the kingdom.

"It is here that companies like EBKSA stand to benefit because we are never short of new technologies, products and services," he adds.