Part of the Jeddah-based Zahid Group, senior executives from the company greeted construction contractors, government officials and engineers from several sectors that have used Caterpillar construction equipment and diesel engines to power the Kingdom’s infrastructure development since 1950.
“Without exception we are involved in all the major projects,” said Amr M. Khashoggi, Zahid Group’s vice president of corporate affairs. “We are probably the fourth largest Caterpillar distributor in the world. There are projects all over the Kingdom that we are involved in, but the main ones are in Jubail, Yanbu, Dammam, Alkhobar, Hofuf and Ras Azzour.” During its long association Zahid Tractor has provided equipment on some of the Kingdom’s most significant development projects.
“This team has provided advanced, durable machinery backed by world-class support from an expansive network — 17 branches strategically located across the Kingdom,” Khashoggi said “Zahid and Caterpillar have worked closely for 60 years to set the highest standards and together are continuing the challenging and rewarding work of building a bright future for Saudi Arabia.” He took particular pride in his company’s involvement in the 1986 construction of the King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“It stands out as a pivotal development, in both economic and political terms, for both countries and the wider Gulf,” said Khashoggi. “The construction of the King Fahd Causeway was a monumental project in its scope and complexity, and it required exceptional support. Zahid Tractor provided the expertise and capacity required by the builders for such a project with the high performance machinery of Caterpillar.” He spoke of Zahid Tractor’s commitment to Saudization and its three regional learning centers. “We have one of the highest percentages of Saudis in our work force,” Khashoggi said. “In some of our companies we have more than 80 percent Saudis. Overall, we have 3,000 employees, and on an average 42 percent of them are Saudis. We continue to hire more Saudis. We also have an important focus on people with special needs, with special programs for them to train in what is appropriate to their specific condition.” The company also has been a trailblazer in hiring Saudi women. “Saudi women’s empowerment is very important to us, and they are doing a fabulous job,” he said. “Most of the women at our group are engaged in office work; women are working in our finance department, in administration, as accountants, in bookkeeping, and we have women working in our human resources department.” Khashoggi attributed the success of Zahid Group’s Saudization program to its recruitment, curricula and its cooperation with the government.
“If you give them the right kind of training, the right kind of focus and the right kind of mentoring, they will excel,” he said of the young Saudi trainees. “We are also proud to have many Saudis sitting in high management positions in the head office as well as at many of our branches. They are working as directors of various divisions. We have invested heavily in Saudis. It is a major investment for us, and we will continue to do that. We have a very strong relationship with the Ministry of Labor, and we work with them to make sure that we are on the same page with them in planning for recruiting Saudis so they get the skills that meet job requirements.” The company earlier had a 60th-anniversary event at its Jeddah location and plans another for Riyadh in the near future. “This is a celebration of not just the partnership between Zahid and Caterpillar but also the celebration of a partnership between the management and employees,” Khashoggi told Arab News. “It is a partnership between Zahid as a company and the Saudi community; it is a partnership between our government and the private sector.”
