RIYADH, 29 May 2007 — With a boom in the Saudi construction sector, Mitsubishi Electric Saudi Ltd. (Melsa), a joint venture between Mitsubishi of Japan (Melco) and Omar Kasim Alesayi & Co., has set out an ambitious target of winning more business in Saudi Arabia. The new vision was unveiled during a press conference organized on the sidelines of a high-profile celebration held here last night to mark the sale of 10,000 units of elevators in Saudi Arabia.
The occasion also saw the launching of a world-class 24-hour Mitsubishi Information Center, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, to serve customers across the country. Speaking on this occasion, Keiji Takeuchi, Melsa president, said, “all emergency and maintenance calls of customers are now routed through this call center.” The celebration was attended by a cross-section of local business gentry, experts and executives of different companies.
Also present were Melsa’s partner Aidroos Hassan Al Esayi and Makoto Kondo, Melco group president and in-charge of building systems, who flew in from Japan to attend the event. Jiro Kurashima, Melco’s general manager; Shamshul Haq, vice president; Mushtaq Ahmed, marketing manager; Jameelur Rahman, maintenance manager; and M. Naseeruddin, finance manager were also present.
Spelling out the salient features of MIC, Kondo said that the MIC center is already functioning and the number of calls is growing daily. The MIC, which keeps detailed information and history of every product of customers for proper problem solution, will help to give centralized responses in record time. The MIC is linked to all four regional offices and six branch offices across the Kingdom. The toll free number for calling MIC in case of any emergency or service requirement is 800-128-2828.
In reply to a question about the market share, Kondo said that Mitsubishi holds 35 percent share of the market of elevators and escalators in Saudi Arabia. “We hold 30 percent share of Japanese market, whereas we can boast to have 11 percent market share globally with substantial presence in over 70 countries,” said Kondo. He pointed out that the company has installed more than 10,500 units in about 3,200 projects across the Kingdom so far.
Mitsubishi, he said, is also planning to set up a manufacturing facility either in Saudi Arabia or India in near future. “Melsa’s sales have been growing progressively, and hence the company has become the fastest growing elevator company in the Kingdom,” said Kurashima. To this end, it is important to note that Melsa has installed elevators and escalators in several landmark projects including King Khalid International Airport (196 units), Faisaliah Center (the fastest elevators in Saudi Arabia), the Kingdom Tower (the tallest tower).