Construction Middle East: Arabian Civil Engineers by GineersNow GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 014, Sau | Page 42

However, having said that, young
Saudi men and women are returning
from studying abroad on Government
and private scholarships, bringing with
them new styles of management and
leadership. The country would surely
benefit.
Are there any pioneering engineering
stories in the Middle East, perhaps
famous inventors and scientists?
I am sure there are, but I can tell you
from our experience that our young
engineers at our truck assembly plant
in King Abdullah Economic City have
come up with great incremental small
(some may say tiny) improvements
that have resulted in greater efficiency
in our operation. I am proud of them,
as much as I would of a compatriot
who invents an earth-shattering
well-engineered product.
What are the current trends in your
industry?
I think the most important trend is the
application of technology. The World
Economic Forum calls it “The Fourth
Industrial Revolution”, and technology
and miniaturization have invaded our
lives and the way our industry works
today.
What latest trends or innovations are
you currently working on?
We are fully aligned with the Saudi
Vision 2030, and as such, we are
raising the bar in terms of technical
and vocational training. We need to
develop our youth to be technically
savvy and to have the engineering
capability to rise to the challenge that
our country needs to transform itself
from being an oil-based economy to a
knowledge-based society.
What do you think will the future of
your industry look like this year and
by year 2020?
This year will prove challenging for the
construction and transport industry,
but we expect stability in 2018 and
growth in 2019 and 2020. We will
continue to look for products that are
environmentally-friendly yet more
efficient and relying on alternative or
hybrid energy solutions. We will
continue to train our employees to be
more technically savvy and more
customer driven.
SOCIAL IMPACT & CSR
Describe the CSR history and
philosophy of the company?
As I said above, our philosophy and
CSR strategy is to become a social
enterprise. What we mean by that is
we will still be profit-driven but
everything we do is driven by the
impact we have on the environment,
employees, customers, and the
society in which we thrive. We believe
in compassionate capitalism.
a. What is your company’s cause?
We focus on the men and women of
Saudi Arabia. Those include young
and old, as well as persons with
disabilities. All our programs aim to
achieve equality and fairness in our
efforts to achieve true inclusion.
b. How many employees are
involved?
We encourage all our employees to
participate in voluntary initiatives such
as “the neighbor for the neighbor”,
where we help our neighbors
especially during natural disasters,
such as floods. Other initiatives
include “the skill factory”, where we
ask our employees to dedicate a few
hours per month to teach poor kids
from our neighborhoods in Jeddah,
Riyadh and Dammam a course in
English, Computers or basic
mechanics or electric engineering,
depending on the kids.
40
Construction Leaders • April 2017