Brazil’s Weg, the automation and control technology provider, expressed optimism it would continue to witness growth in the GCC region where its customers include major oil and gas companies.

The company exports to all the Gulf states and the main products it ships are the W22 and M-line motors and the CFW11 and MVW01 variable speed drives, said Weg Middle East managing director Colin Cox.

“Saudi Arabia was our biggest market in 2013, and this year we are expecting Qatar to become our largest market,” he told The Gulf Industry, our sister publication.

“Since we first set up an office in the Middle East in 2008, we have seen a steady increase of approximately 20 per cent year-on-year growth. We work closely with the major oil and gas companies throughout the Gulf, including Saudi Aramco, Qatar Petroleum, Adnoc, and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).”

The company has a sales and after-market facility in Dubai. As well as supplying directly to end users, the process accounting for 70 per cent of its business in the region, the company has two key distributors and works closely with Aikah Establishment and Alkawn Al Saudi.

It meets the needs of those who require standard products from stock through its distributors, while the needs of those who want bespoke engineered solutions and support from installation, commissioning to maintenance are met directly.

Giving a rundown of prospects in the region, Cox, said: "We are optimistic in terms of the market. In Oman we foresee growth due to extending oil and gas production (EOR – Enhanced Oil Recovery) projects. In Saudi Arabia we predict the diversification into petrochemicals (downstream activities)."

"This is being driven by the government’s need to remove the dependence on oil revenues in the future by developing and using the local feedstock for petrochemical products and fertiliser production," he added.-TradeArabia News Service