Mapei around the World / 12/23/2024

Mapei, committed to helping the nation grow

The launch of vision 2030 was a crucial moment for the Group’s operations as it started up a manufacturing plant, took over Bitumat and opened a sales office in Riyadh

Author

Stefano Iannacone

Middle East & East Africa Director, Mapei Group

Mapei has strengthened its presence in Saudi Arabia, aligning its growth with Vision 2030 by opening a manufacturing plant, acquiring Bitumat, and establishing an office in Riyadh. The company is committed to expanding local production, supporting large-scale projects, and preserving cultural heritage, while blending technological innovation with sustainable development for long-term impact.

Mapei's history in Saudi Arabia goes back many years, when the Group started to boost its operations in the Middle East. Initially, the focus was on a few local distributors, mainly specialising in products for installing ceramic tiles and natural stone. However, with the opening of a manufacturing plant in the United Arab Emirates in 2008, just a few hours away from Saudi Arabia, new perspectives opened up with the support of local staff. One of the most important projects the company has contributed to in the country is Riyadh Metro, an emblematic example of Mapei's key role in the building industry in Saudi Arabia thanks to the quality and innovation that are an integral part of our DNA.

A turning point in the Group’s penetration process was the introduction of Vision 2030, the Saudi government's economic and social transformation plan. This initiative encouraged us to intensify our operations in the country with a crucial step being taken in 2022 through the opening of a subsidiary, Mapei Saudia, in Tabuk, right in the heart of the region's futuristic Neom project, where a few months ago a plant for manufacturing concrete admixtures was opened.

Earlier this year, Mapei took a further step forward by taking over Bitumat, a leading manufacturer of waterproofing systems that has an important plant in Dammam.

More recently, a sales office was also opened in Riyadh, the capital and nerve centre of Saudi Arabia, which will be hosting the next edition of Expo in 2030.

In recent years, the Saudi market's openness to foreign countries has exceeded that of any other Gulf nation.

The Ministry of Investment (MISA), with which Mapei signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in September 2022, has facilitated the entry of foreign companies onto the market, offering maximum cooperation and support to businesses interested in investing in Saudi Arabia and boosting the local workforce.

Mapei plans to consolidate its operations over the next few years, increase its production capacity, boost its product portfolio and employ more local staff

Mapei's facilities in Saudi Arabia are close to the areas where mega projects are being constructed.

This kind of cooperation is also aimed at localising strategic supplies, increasing the competitiveness of domestic production, and promoting the diversification of the economy towards non-oil industries.

The government's commitment to the development of large construction projects, coupled with the size of the Saudi territory, calls for even greater commitment on Mapei’s part.

We plan to consolidate our operations in the country over the next two to three years, investing in boosting our production capacity and expanding our product portfolio and local staff to provide adequate technical, logistical and commercial support.

Our focus is on manufacturing locally to serve the Saudi Arabian market, a rapidly expanding market offering a key opportunity for the Group's future and providing the ideal conditions for a long-term commitment that will continue well beyond 2030.

The expansion of the building industry, which last year alone saw the allocation of new projects worth a total of 110 billion US dollars, involves the entire country: from mega-projects in Neom and Trojena in the north to tourist development along the Red Sea coast; from big projects such as those in Diriyah and Roshn in Riyadh to huge investments in sports/leisure facilities such as those in Qiddiya and all the infrastructures for hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

In addition to promoting modern, sustainable building, Mapei is also committed to the conservation of the country's cultural heritage, as demonstrated by the Hegra Conservation Project, a project being developed in partnership with a number of leading Italian businesses to help preserve one of the Middle East's most important historical locations: Hegra, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

This combination of technological development and cultural enhancement is a fundamental pillar of Vision 2030 and part of Mapei's commitment to Saudi Arabia’s growth and future.

Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is literally an open-air construction site. Mapei Saudi recently opened offices here.

Author

Stefano Iannacone

Middle East & East Africa Director, Mapei Group

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