Ahmed Yehia

TBY talks to Ahmed Yehia, Managing Director of Twintec Saudi LLC, about the firm’s operations in Saudi Arabia, innovation, and goals for the coming year.

Could you give us an overview of Twintec’s operations and its presence in Saudi Arabia?

Twintec is a Belgian company specialized in offering total offer concept (Design, Build and Guarantee) that began operations in Saudi Arabia in 2007. Our first project was the largest distribution center for Panda, one of the top retailers in the Saudi market, covering 100,000 sqm. In 2017, we formed a partnership with a Saudi company, IKK, creating a mixed entity that officially started in 2018. Since then, our vision has been to become a leader in the flooring sector by providing a comprehensive offering of concept design, build, and Guarantee. A major challenge for us has been diversifying beyond just the warehousing and industrial sectors to align with the specific demands of the Saudi market, which is unique and rapidly innovating. Our focus extends to sectors like entertainment, airports, and terminal ports, adapting our solutions accordingly. We began with just six employees in 2018, and now we have grown to 62 employees from 13 different nationalities. We offer innovative solutions that reduce costs, project duration by 50%, and CO2 emissions up to 66%. Saudi Arabia has a significant goal to develop a sustainable city by 2030, and we are supporting both government and private sectors in achieving this target. In line with this, we have already secured two LEED certifications for reducing CO2 emissions: a gold certificate in 2020 for a project with a pharmaceutical and recently, a platinum certificate for the biggest distribution hub in Jeddah Islamic port.

How is the company leveraging innovation to design and construct concrete floor slabs?

Our company has been at the forefront of innovation in flooring since 1991. Traditionally, concrete floors were designed with saw cuts / unprotected joints every 6m and reinforced with two layers of 10-mm wire mesh. Within our solution, we can eliminate 80% of those unprotected joints along with savings in slab thickness and concrete volume usage. Within our application, we can also serve the food and hygienic industries, as we eliminate the need to apply epoxy coating. Our innovative approach also has a significant reduction impact in terms of cost, time and with design optimization and value engineering, we are reducing our carbon footprint by up to 66%. We transformed this approach with our proprietary jointless slab technology, allowing us to create panels up to 40m by 40m—much larger than the conventional 6m by 6m panels. We also developed a product called Twintec Ultimate , which enables us to construct up to 100,000sqm without any joints. Our third innovation, the eco-free plan, focuses on sustainability by achieving a 66% reduction in CO2 emissions. We accomplish this by using reused fiber from truck tires, which we process through a special manufacturing technique at our UK facility.

What other key projects have you recently provided in Saudi Arabia?

We recently completed the design and execution for Lucid, a Saudi-American venture under the PIF, which is now competing with Tesla by producing luxury, unique cars with a specialized battery. We managed to reduce the project’s thickness requirement from 25cm to 20cm and cut the execution time from 65 days to just 25, enabling them to start their investment much earlier. Our efforts resulted in a 54% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 72% reduction in joints. Another key project we were involved in is the NUPCO warehouses. During the pandemic, Saudi Arabia recognized the need to enhance their pharmaceutical and food stock. They established a company responsible for all pharmaceutical procurement for both the governmental and private sectors. We designed warehouses in Qasim, Dammam, and Medina, which are dedicated to storing pharmaceuticals for both sectors. We improved the original design from 25cm to 16cm and utilized a specialized metallic dry shake from Germany to meet Saudi Food and Drug Authority standards. This project has successfully expanded to include Qassim, Dammam, Medina, and is now progressing into Jouf and Assir, covering a total area of approximately 150,000sqm.

Who are the end clients you are targeting and how is your client portfolio is composed within KSA?

We aim for diversification in our client base, targeting both governmental and private sectors. About 80% of our projects are directly with the main client, Within our client portfolio, roughly 40% are PIF subsidiaries, 20% are from the governmental sector, and the remaining portion is from the private sector. In the private sector, we focus on niche markets, working with major names in Saudi Arabia such as Shaya, Agility, Panda, Al-Othaim, Tamimi, and Carrefour. Regarding strategic partnerships, we have a Saudi partner that has been with us since 2017. We maintain all our services in-house across our branches to ensure that we meet our clients’ expectations and deliver high-quality results. These collaborations enhance our capabilities and contribute to our success by allowing us to maintain control over our service quality and client satisfaction. That is why we got the best flooring award along with the sub-contractor of the year.

What are your short-term priorities and goals to be achieved in 2024-2025?

In 2024-2025, our short-term priorities and goals are centered around establishing our presence in Saudi Arabia. We are currently collaborating with major names to make this happen. With Saudi Arabia’s ‘Made in Saudi’ slogan, we are focused on attracting foreign investors to set up their factories here. We are working to support them as they align with the new strategy for foreign investment. Our discussions with these companies are focused on the facility, design, and funding to kickstart our industry in Saudi Arabia.