The Mars Chocolate Factory in Saudi Arabia was awarded ‘Small Project of the Year’ at the MEED Quality Awards for Projects 2014 ceremony.

The GCC winners were announced at a recently held Dubai gathering of senior representatives of the regional project delivery supply chain.

The awards recognise the best projects completed in the GCC in the previous two years and include eleven categories across the construction industry; rigorously judged by a panel of experts, said the company in its statement.

Mars Chocolate Factory, which was designed by Hyder Consulting, was recognized as a state-of-the-art project in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Rabigh. The award winner stood out for its compliance with high quality environmental, health and safety standards.

“This project is a shining example for Saudi Arabia’s construction industry. The Mars factory plays a vital role in KAEC’s economic growth, creating jobs for many young Saudi staff and setting an excellent precedent for manufacturing in the Kingdom," stated Peter Pardoe, Hyder’s industrial business director.

"It demonstrates outstanding technical merit and environmental efficiency,” it added.

Mohamad Safieddine, the GM at Mars Saudi Arabia, said: “Mars has made a preliminary investment of $60 million and aims to allocate an additional $150 million over the next 10 years. The company operates on a global best practice model when it comes to construction practices and infrastructure development."

"It gives us great pride to work with partners like Hyder, which allows us to achieve our high standards," he added.

Established in 1957, MEED, has been integral in delivering business information and news, intelligence and analysis on the Middle East economies and activities ever since.

MEED Quality Awards was launched in 2010 as a signature event designed to recognize and reward best practice in construction projects throughout the GCC region.-TradeArabia News Service