BMI Group Middle East targeting the regional roofing and waterproofing market ahead of its launch in the region next month
Back in 2017, Standard Industries Inc, a leading global provider of roofing and waterproofing solutions, and Brass Monier Building Group SA announced that the former company had acquired the latter, combining Brass Monier’s operations with Standard Industries’ European flat roofing business, Icopal.
This merger created the largest manufacturer in the European roofing industry, with a product portfolio of both pitched and flat roof technologies. Operating under the name BMI Group, the new entity established its headquarters in London and has gone on to provide customers with a full portfolio of roofing and waterproofing solutions for both the pitched and flat roof markets.
With customers benefiting from a combination of strong brands and an extensive sales, service and marketing platform from BMI Group, the company is well positioned to meet customers’ increasingly complex technology and logistic needs. These capabilities are backed up by its extensive investments in infrastructure and research and development, specifically designed to meet customer needs.
In the wake of several major event and vision announcements in recent years, the GCC construction sector continues to thrive, with a recent Ventures ONSITE report finding that the regional construction sector is expected to see $140bn of new contractor awards in 2019.
This is a 12% year-on-year rise in the value of new contractor awards, powered by increasing oil prices and government spending. Total GCC construction project value across the three key sectors of the construction market – building, infrastructure and energy – is estimated to be currently $3.6tn.
Buildings – residential, commercial, mixed-use, airports, sports facilities, hotels, healthcare, education facilities and industrial projects – will be the largest contributor to the construction sector in 2019, the report added. New contract awards in this sector are expected to be $69.7bn, with energy and infrastructure following with $48.5bn and $22.3bn respectively.
These figures are why BMI Group has now decided to enter the region, establishing a new headquarters in Abu Dhabi that it hopes will allow it to grab a slice of GCC construction activity. In order to get a clear idea of what its targets and ambitions are, Big Project ME spoke to Mohammad Odat, regional director – Middle East, ahead of the company’s launch event on April 10 at the FIVE Hotel on the Palm Jumeriah, Dubai.
Why has BMI Group come to the Middle East? What strategic opportunities are there in the current market?
The Middle East is considered one of the most active regions on the BMI Group map, as it is one of the fastest growing regions around the world. We see several opportunities in the market, especially with all the unique projects and new governmental innovations in terms of sustainability development.
What is BMI Group’s strategy and vision for its operations in the Middle East? How does it intend to achieve them?
As part of the global BMI group, BMI Middle East will help build communities by providing shelter, protection and peace of mind through effective and innovative roofing and waterproofing solutions. The BMI ME team will be working closely with our customers based on our values of Empower, Inspire, Evolve and Connect.
What market sectors will BMI Group be targeting?
Being the largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturers in the world, we are focusing our efforts in the construction market on either new or renovation projects. We will be working with local authorities, architects, engineers and contractors to introduce the latest technologies in roofing and waterproofing.
How does BMI Group stand out from the competition? What are the benefits to customers of choosing it?
With more than 135 years of experience and state-of-the-art research and development centres, we make sure that all of our systems are compatible with the latest construction and building requirements. On top of this, we also provide technical support throughout a project’s lifecycle.
Finally, what are the targets and ambitions for BMI Group in 2019?
BMI Group will continue the ambitious growth in new regions, through the introduction of the latest technologies in roofing and waterproofing.