Khalid Al Zamil, managing director of Zamil Industrial and previously president of Zamil Steel, reflects on the past 30 years and the vision of the founders when the company was established.

“When we started 30 years ago, we were all young enthusiastic fresh graduates from the United States. There we had seen the technical and manufacturing capabilities of the USA and we dreamt of transferring these capabilities to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world,” said Al Zamil.

“We were lucky in that at that time the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu had drawn up plans for the industrialisation of the kingdom and our proposals met the criteria which aimed at helping create an industrial base in Saudi Arabia.”

Little did the founders think that 30 years later the company would be spread across the world as a result of a series of brave, decisive and pioneering initiatives.

For Al Zamil, the development of the company into a global player was based on a number of key decisions. “One of the most important elements in our growth was the development and ownership of the technology upon which the company’s design systems are based,” said Al Zamil.

“Coupled with excellent human resources in the mid-1990’s and a very supportive customer base, we reached a critical mass where we either had to expand or stay put in our own region.”

The development of the company within Saudi Arabia was also affected positively by both the boom in the 1980s as well as the aftermath of the first Gulf War where a massive increase in demand created severe challenges for the company. So by the mid-1990s, encouraged by some of their customers, Zamil Steel established a pioneering facility in Vietnam followed by Egypt.

“The decision to open-up in Southeast Asia was courageous as we had to cope with the economic environment after the Asian crisis,” said Al Zamil.

Other defining moments, according to Al Zamil, were the decisions to go global and to go public creating Zamil Industrial by combining Zamil Steel, Zamil Air Conditioners and Zamil Glass.

“Basically we had to be a big player to attract investors and this in turn has solidified our growth internationally,” said Al Zamil.

But there is no doubt that the various decisions that have helped propel Zamil Steel into global markets and established the company’s international credibility are only a part of the story.

Al Zamil believes that a number of basic factors have helped fuel this success.

“First I believe that the owners’ strict adherence to the values of honesty, customer care and quality of product have underpinned the success of the enterprise,” said Al Zamil.

“Put these values together with a selection of the right people, training and the creation of a harmonious organisation and you will get the internal strength which is reflected in our products and first-class service. Our customers feel that they are important to us.”

Al Zamil also points out that the company’s culture is one of determination to develop, grow and innovate.

“For example our design and detailing is amongst the best in the world and when it comes to management we are willing to adopt modern management programmes such as the Balanced Score Card,” said Al Zamil.

“We successfully implemented ERP a long time ago and we have initiated a lot of strategic programmes to develop our vision and mission through both human resources and the manufacturing process establishing methodology that can be benchmarked.”

Al Zamil also points to the group’s financial strength which is underpinned by constant reinvestment.

Looking to the future, Al Zamil wants to see Zamil Steel as a world name in steel fabrication and system building.

“Pre-Engineered Buildings is already a world player which is both well known and respected and we want to grow this further,” said Al Zamil.

“We a