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An ability to think out of the box is the only guarantee for success in a fast changing business environment. Mayank Singh and Srinivasan Iyer report

Mavericks at work
'The only source of profit, the only reason to invest in companies in the future is their
ability to innovate and their ability to differentiate.' Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE To survive in today's highly competitive marketplace, it takes more than just a good product to flourish. Innovation is the key to success and it doesn't necessarily mean a new product. Today it spans right across the genesis of a business concept to its execution and delivery. Take Apple, for instance, which has revolutionised the way the music industry operates. The company's iPod music player and the online iTunes music store have set industry standards. That's because Apple has continuously evolved its business model and the brand with a steady flow of new ideas.

Another example is the rise of Haier from a defunct refrigerator factory in China's Qindao province to an internationally recognised and dominant consumer appliance brand. Haier followed a non-traditional business strategy of entering developed markets such as Europe and America. The move helped a relatively unknown company build a global brand equity and take on intense competition from domestic rivals on its home turf. On the flip side, companies that have been reluctant to change have fallen by the wayside.

Companies in the sultanate too have been quick to adapt to the needs of the market and have differentiated themselves from the competition. BusinessToday takes a look at what makes them special.

Supa Save

Al Fair reinvents itself to ward off competition from hypermarkets When Lulu Hypermarket opened its second outlet at Darsait on October 17, 2005, market watchers were quick to predict the demise of supermarkets in its vicinity. Al Fair's outlet in the CBD area was the first to feel the heat. With Al Fair prices around eight per cent higher than that of Lulu, customers started deserting the store in hordes. As groceries on the shelves piled up and the parking lot became increasingly vacant, the management realised that they had a problem on hand.

Jannie Holtzhansen, chief executive, Spinneys (which owns the Al Fair chain), gave his managers the ominous message, 'Gentlemen the choice for us is tough shape up or perish.' The consensus was that in the changed scenario the Al Fair model was unworkable in a price-conscious area like CBD. Drawing from his vast experience in retailing, Holtzhansen suggested that Al Fair needed to take on Lulu on its own turf by offering competitive prices. Since the name Al Fair had a strong association with an upmarket store, the outlet needed to rebrand itself. He suggested the new name Ð Supa Save. The rebranding was spot on as it conveyed the idea, shop and save.

Hit and trial

The rechristened Al Fair opened in December 2005. A list of commodities that are consumed on a day-to-day basis like groceries, fruits and vegetables were identified and their prices were shaved off by five per cent. A Supa Save team started visiting Lulu every day to keep an eye on the competitor's prices. Hypermarkets, with their larger buying prowess, can negotiate better rates with suppliers compared to supermarkets. So a five per cent price cut is a formidable task for a supermarket as it necessitates a drastic increase in sales volume. Says Sarel Myburgh, deputy general manager, Al Fair, "Initially we were apprehensive that our gross profits would take a hit due to lower margins but as our volumes increased we became more confident."

To embellish its price proposition, Supa Save earmarked a particular aisle in the store exclusively to promotions. The aisle is choc-a-bloc with bundled packages and pallets that are stacked with promotional packs of sugar, rice, wheat, chocolates, diapers and cooking oil. "This is something that we will never do at an Al Fair," says Myburgh. But at Supa Save, it is a perfect fit.

In another digression from the Al Fair stores which sells fruits and vegetables in smaller plastic boxes, Supa Save introduced flat stands for its volume lines like potatoes, bananas, onions, watermelons etc. These display more quantities at a time, giving customers the feel of being in a bigger format store. As they require lesser refills (with more customers) compared to the plastic boxes used at Al Fair they are also easier to manage.

Match making

Product selection for the new store proved to be a tricky business. The desire to sell larger promotional packs created the need for more space. The challenge was to do this without compromising on the product range on offer. Says Myburgh, "We arrived at a proper mix by a process of trial and error." The idea was to pick and choose a range keeping in mind the price conscious customer. So if an Al Fair outlet at MQ sells 8-10 varieties of tomato ketchups, the manager of Supa Save picks the brand leader, probably Heinz, and three or four lower priced brands. This mix gives the customer a choice of purchasing a market leader or relatively cheaper brands based on his preference.

Supa Save has not only withstood the competition offered by Lulu, but has also recorded a 46 per cent growth in revenue. The store attracts 900-950 customers a day and the number of transactions (sale) in 2007 has grown by 80 per cent since last year. Enthused by the response, Spinneys opened its first Supa Save in the UAE at Sharjah. "Our strategy is to use Supa Save to penetrate into rural areas," says Myburgh. The store will commence operations in Samail and Amerat soon. The runaway success of Supa Save is a case study for marketers. The innovation has helped an upmarket brand like Al Fair to reposition itself in a lower priced avatar. Moreover, it has combined the benefits of a hypermarket with the convenience of a supermarket.

A'Saffa Poultry Farms

Company rewrites the rules of agri-related business In a business where it takes a minimum of five years to break even, A'Saffa Poultry Farms has rewritten the rules, churning out profits within two and a half years of commencing operations. According to Dr Nasser Zaher Nasser Al Mauly, CEO of A'Saffa Poultry Farms, three key initiatives Ð production efficiencies, aggressive marketing and smart buying have helped the poultry producer to become the most popular brand in the sultanate.

"In our business, outside forces like the price of corn and soya, which are used to make feed, account for a major chunk of our costs. And in the last couple of years their prices have nearly doubled. So we have been doing some smart buying, which has helped us keep our costs down and helped us in maintaining our prices," says Dr Mauly.

Efficiencies in production have also helped immensely, with the company maintaining extremely high standards of hygiene that minimises the threat of disease. Every time a truck enters the farm premises to collect a consignment it is thoroughly disinfected. Even the employees are isolated and work on one particular farm to reduce the threat of spreading infection. "We use the best ingredients to feed the chicken, which reflects on the feed to conversion ratio, helping the chicken grow faster and producing healthier and tastier chicken," says Dr Mauly.

Perhaps one of the key areas where A'Saffa has managed to do a lot is in processing and harvesting. "We process 35,000 chicken each day. We take a lot of care in cleaning them. If we were to lose say 100gm of flesh on each bird you can imagine the losses."

Aggressive marketing

But nothing has paid off better than aggressive marketing for the poultry producer. "There was a time when no one wanted to keep our products. Today, all our buyers are clamouring for more despite being a premium-priced product," reminisces Staneley Victor, head of marketing and sales, A'Saffa Poultry Farms. "Most producers sell chicken as a commodity, but we have positioned A'Saffa as a brand that stands for purity, and we emphasise on that particular quality to our customers in all our campaigns and promotions through the media or at the point of sales. A'Saffa also created a name for itself by being the first advertiser in the poultry category, and continues to use the print media to educate the customers," adds Victor.

A'Saffa has deviated from normal sales practices and has been increasingly opting for spot sales to achieve higher returns. Noticing a trend in the market for fresh poultry, the company has been increasingly catering to such demands. "We are confident about our produce and don't get any unsold quantities back from the market," informs Victor.
According to Dr Nasser, the company will stick to basics. "Because that is what we do best. But we are open to change and will respond to the market when the need arises."

The Chedi

The hotel stands apart due to its simplicity and understated elegance Some say a five star hotel should have gold inlay work, 400 plus rooms, carpets that sink under your feet when you walk, gigantic chandeliers, brocaded upholstery, ornate suites and so on. Now imagine a hotel with a mere 156 rooms, with the shine coming from the warmth of woodwork rather than gold, understated terrazzo beneath your feet and a sense of aesthetic fulfilment created by simplicity rather than opulence: that is The Chedi Muscat. Breaking through all preconceived notions about five star properties in the region, The Chedi has never had occasion to look back since it opened in January 2003. And today, The Chedi has managed to enter the ranks of the worldÕs best hotels.

The hotel was recently selected the runner-up at Conde Nast's Readers Travel Awards 2007 in The Best of the Best - The World's Top 100. The occupancy rates have only grown every year since it opened in 2003. No mean feat considering the fact that the hotel has been increasing average room rates by 15-20 per cent per annum from 2004. The hotel had an occupancy rate of over 92 per cent during the first five months of 2007.

Simplicity and elegance

The design of the hotel is its biggest differentiator. Built over 86,000 sq mtrs, one-third of the property or 28,600 sq mtrs comprises of gardens. While some may consider it to be a waste of space, a combination of gardens and the sea gives The Chedi its unique flavour. Says York Brandes, general manager, "Our style gives a sense of tranquillity. There are straight lines everywhere on the property and space is an intrinsic part of the design."

Though the hotel is adjacent to the sea, only eight of its rooms have a sea view. This may sound blasphemous to some designers, but the hotel has actually stolen a march by turning conventional wisdom on its head. "At night the sea become a large mass of black, so we have most of our rooms opening onto candle lit ponds and palm trees," says Brandes. Every evening the property is lit up by 400-500 customised candles, giving the hotel a Zen-like ambience.

As the sun sets the hotel changes its hues. The ambience inside the hotel is kept in sync with the environment outside with the help of a calibrated lighting system. From the evening the hotel changes six different moods as the night progresses. For example, if at 6pm all the lights on the property are lit after a couple of hours their intensity comes down by 20 per cent. This goes on and by midnight the lights are down by almost half. This clever use of technology gives the hotel a feeling of serenity. "The hotel is completely different at night," says an executive.

In another iconoclastic move the hotel has taken a policy of not entertaining groups of over 20 people as it infringes on the experience of other guests. "Large groups take over the hotel," says Brandes. While this may be seen as a suicidal move by some other hotels, it has helped The Chedi get repeat customers over the years. Over all, The Chedi's innovative approach has helped it move on from being a mere brand to a much-loved destination for its customers.

Al Hassan Engineering Company

EPC contractor focuses on what it does best

Al Hassan Engineering Company (AHEC) is the crown jewel of the well-diversified Al Hassan Group. There's no doubt why. The company is building the largest power plant in the sultanate's history Ð a 1,000mw plant for Sohar Aluminium Company in the industrial port city. The other projects being currently executed include the Mukhaizana and Qarn Alam power plants and the Salalah IWP. The engineering, procurement and construction company maintains a focused approach, targeting projects only in oil and gas, power and water sectors and ranks among the top three players in its segment.

Focus is the key word here. The 30-year-old group owes its current standing as one of the most well-diversified corporates in the sultanate to the synergies of its various group companies and the well-organised management structure.

Says Syed Muhammad Rizvi, executive director of Al Hassan Group, "AHEC is very selective in the projects and clients that it tenders and works for. They have to be in power, water and oil and gas sectors. Our core competencies are in these areas and we have a stellar history of executing orders within the timeframe and budget for all our clients." These accomplishments make AHEC one of the most sought after joint venture partners for international companies when bidding for projects. The roster of multinational partner companies now includes Technip, Bechtel, SNC Lavland, Snamprogetti and BHEL to name a few.

Enhancing expertise

According to Rizvi, AHEC is constantly looking at acquiring newer expertise and stepping up its pre-qualification repertoire. "We are the first company in Oman to offer alloy welding. We constantly strive to lift our engineering standards that will help us pre-qualify for more complex projects. With the Sohar Aluminium power plant contract, AHEC will be graduating to the next level of skills and we will benchmark ourselves against the best in the industry."

One of the main reasons for AHEC's success is the constant review of business plans to meet its future targets and goals. Rizvi takes pride in pointing out that AHEC today is one of the best managed companies in Oman. "The group's management panel meets on a regular basis to review the adequacy of the organinsational structure to support AHEC's business plan. We are dynamic enough to adapt to changes in terms of our business needs."

AHEC has already set the ball rolling for 2008. The company has placed orders for heavy duty plant and equipment to execute projects in Oman and its planned expansion in the UAE. Huge investments have been made in fabrication shops and the necessary infrastructure to bid for civil and mechanical packages of the Fujairah power plant and the expansion of the Barouj petrochemical plant. Foreseeing a crunch in manpower mobilisation, AHEC is looking beyond the traditional base of the Indian subcontinent to include other areas in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Going forward, Rizvi says AHEC will continue to maintain thrust on EPC contracts in these sectors. "We don't want to expose ourselves to a new learning curve. We know growth can be achieved through diversification, but we are not aiming to be the biggest player in the industry. We want to be competitive in pricing and quality, and to be reliable and effective. We will achieve better performance through effective management, lower costs and improved productivity."

Gulf Stone

Consolidating operations helps premium tile maker

The advantage with Gulf Stone Company is its uniqueness. The company is the only one of its kind in the Gulf that manufactures agglomerate quartz tiles. The only competitor is a similar manufacturer based in Israel. The company is now primed for success, after a few initial setbacks.

It can be safely said that founder and chairman Ahmed Mohamad Al Rasbi was a visionary when he pounced upon the opportunity to set up such a facility in the
sultanate back in late 1990s. Even Breton Spa, the Italian manufacturer of tile manufacturing equipment, knew that Gulf Stone would be a winner. Says Khalfan Salim al-Kabi, managing director of Gulf Stone, "Breton never takes an equity stake in a company that it supplies equipment to, but the company made an exception in the case of Gulf Stone, picking up a five per cent stake." The stake has since been reduced to 2.5 per cent.

Quick learner

Gulf Stone's advantage in this market is manifold. One, the company holds a near monopoly. Two, its prices are nearly 30 per cent lower compared to imports from Italian manufacturers. Three, the international quality of its products. "Our products are now imported by companies in Italy. The Europeans are very hard to please, which goes to prove that we make quality tiles," says Samir Ali Shambi al-Baloushi, acting marketing manager of Gulf Stone.

The quartz-tile manufacturer learned quickly from its initial mistakes. "We initially had our headquarters in Muscat and offices in four different countries to market the products. This did not help matters as the cost of maintaining the overseas offices was high and being a new entrant we did not make much headway in marketing. Besides, the translation of the decision-making process from Muscat to the factory floor was slow due to a number of factors," informs al-Baloushi. These have since been rectified. The company shut down its overseas operations and its Muscat office and moved to the site of its factory in Sohar Industrial Estate. The move has paid off handsomely, significantly reducing costs and improving control over production. "Our technology allows us to make tiles of practically any colour or shade. Aluminium-coated granules or mirror pieces can be included to give the tiles a metallic or mirror finish. Besides, we are capable of executing a change in order in 48 hours," explains Kabi. On the marketing front, Gulf Stone relies on a few specific channels. "Although we are very exclusive and quite expensive compared to ordinary tiles, word of mouth publicity through contractors helps us a lot. However, we are present at some exclusive building-material exhibitions in Europe, at dealers and promos in select countries," says Kabi.

The next thing on the marketing agenda is to penetrate the local market. "For the last three years we have been making concerted efforts to educate the market about the
benefits of our products. Many contractors still balk at a mere mention of the price. We are expensive, but our products require practically no maintenance and offer better
aesthetic value." The results are there for all to see. Gulf Stone's domestic sales now account for five per cent compared to one per cent three years ago. That share should further increase if the company is able to make headway with a major integrated tourism project.

The company, which relies predominantly on quartz stone imports from suppliers in India, should see its costs coming down once it starts sourcing raw material from a captive quarry. With the company's plant currently operating at more than 107 per cent capacity utilisation, income tax exemption from the government for another five years and a decent order book, it seems Gulf Stone's future is paved with success.

Light & Shadow Enterprise

The pursuit of wow is what drives this event manager

In a market place where every product or service is vying for attention it takes something spectacular and a wow factor for people to sit up and take notice and come out tops. Light & Shadow Enterprises, an event management company, has constantly innovated the manner in which it showcases a product or an event. Practically every major corporate house in the sultanate has used its services. Muscat Municipality, for instance, has asked the company to conduct the closing ceremony of Muscat Festival five years in a row. The brain behind the company is managing director, Rajeev Chowdhary, a showbiz veteran who knows the pulse of the audience and at the same time provides immense mileage to sponsors and advertisers. He has brought to Oman some of the Bollywood's most popular stars and artistes to perform in Muscat: Salman Khan, Asha Bhonsle, Kareena Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Pankaj Udhas and Abhijeet to name a few.

Redefining entertainment

Says Chowdhary, "My mission is to redefine entertainment in Oman. The way to do this is by doing things differently." Different it is. Earlier this year, Chowdhary organised Powerwalk, a fashion show to showcase Hemant Trevedi's collection, where he convinced 20 corporate honchos to walk the ramp. "It's boring to see models sashay down the ramp. So I decided to do it differently and involve the top management of companies. It took a lot of hard sell as I initially met with a lot of resistance. But I eventually convinced them that it would do a lot of good for their personal brand appeal. Now that people are still talking about it, I'm flooded with requests to include them in next year's event," says Chowdhary. He credits the success of the company to teamwork and professionalism. "I have a great team that does not interfere in each other's work. This allows for smooth functioning with minimum hiccups and maximum effect. On the other hand, the advertisers and clients are happy as we deliver what we promise. Our professional approach helps us prepare for an event well in time and clients get a run-through and know exactly what they are paying for."

The veteran entertainer sees a great future for Oman. "Before Light & Shadow established a presence in 1999, there were hardly four to five shows held each year. The number has steadily increased since and around 30 events were held last year. The market is still underserved in terms of entertainment. The audience is sophisticated and they know what they are coming for. There is a lot of potential in the way in which the market can be developed and we have barely skimmed the surface." Light & Shadow has already prepared its itinerary for 2008 and Chowdhary promises us that there are plenty of surprises in store.

Middle East College of Information Technology

Spotting the next big thing underlines its success

News about the government's plan to establish an IT park on the outskirts of Muscat struck a chord with Abdullah al Sabahy, chairman MECIT, and Lefeer Muhamed, its managing director. The two men who had met while pursuing an MBA course at the University of Wolverhampton, UK, realised that an IT park will trigger the need for more IT professionals. Their joint effort led to the establishment of Middle East College of Information Technology (MECIT) in 2002.

Its rise has been nothing less than meteoric. In a span of five years the college has emerged as the largest private college in Oman. Starting with 180 students on its rolls, MECIT today has 1,799 students. Caledonian college, the second largest private college, has just 1,498 students. It also has the distinction of being only a dedicated information technology college in the Middle East. If one were to sum up the success of MECIT in a word it would be innovation.

Catching the wave

The founder's ability to spot the next big thing early has given MECIT a huge first mover advantage. Starting in the wake of the dotcom crash around the turn of the century, Sabahy and Lefeer realised that offering a simple IT course was not enough. Says Muhamed, "We wanted to offer a course that would not just give them IT based skills but also help them understand the needs of an organisation." Keeping this in mind the MECIT curriculum includes subjects like management, finance, HR and organisational behaviour along with an IT specialisation.

The college has worked on introducing innovative courses through the years. For example, in 2004 it started a course on fashion technology. Anticipating the growth of the global gaming industry, an IT based gaming course was added in 2006. "The course concentrates on the production side rather than the artistic side," says Muhamed. Starting with three courses, MECIT now offers 14.

Its location at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM, the erstwhile IT park) gives it an enviable advantage. The college has worked on leveraging synergies that accrues from being close to the IT hotspot of the sultanate. It conducts regular guest speaker programmes in which it invites senior executives from IT companies. From the fifth semester of a course, students are given a chance to work out internship programmes with companies at KOM or elsewhere giving them valuable exposure. An industrial relations programme at the college facilitates interaction between the institution and industry. The results speak for itself. In the first batch of students which passed out in 2007, 95 per cent of the boys and 60 per cent of the girls got jobs with reputed companies.

All-round development

The institution places a premium on developing the overall personality of students. The MECIT Cup Intercollegiate Football Tournament introduced in 2005 has grown into one of the biggest sporting events amongst colleges in the sultanate. So much so that it has now been given official recognition by the Ministry of Sports. The college encourages sports personalities to partake in their academic programmes and has instituted sports scholarships for the purpose. Ahmed Hadid, the famous football player is a recipient of this scholarship.

The overall development approach is not just restricted to students. Staff development programme is taken just as seriously. Says Lefeer, "This year ten of our teachers will go in for higher education courses. The entire expense for such courses will be borne by MECIT." To facilitate the conveyance of students to the college it has introduced a shuttle service from its campus to Burj as Sliba (close to City Centre). The service operates every 45 minutes from eight in the morning to six in the evening. MECIT's ability to stay ahead on the learning curve has made it an institution par excellence.

Sweets of Oman

An ability to create niches and milk them has helped it leave a good taste
Standing up to competition from the likes of Galaxy, Ferrero Rocher, Cadbury's, and M&M's in the confectionary category is no easy task. The challenge gets aggravated if one's presence is limited to the local market. Despite facing such odds, Sweets of Oman has built up a growing and profitable business. The company's turnover and profits in 2006 were RO3.5mn and RO617,000 respectively. A host of novel initiatives have helped the company to transgress competition and create a space in the market.
The management found that the top end of the market was dominated by international brand names while the bottom end was made up of poorly packaged products. There was a yawning gap between the two and it was this space that Sweets of Oman wanted to fill. Its efforts at improving the quality and packaging of its flagship, Chicko, has given the brand a huge recall in the market.

Cashing in on festivities

Having occupied the middle ground in the market, Sweets of Oman prised open another virgin segment Ð the gift market. Says S Balakrishna, general manager, Sweets of Oman, "The margins are better in the gift segment and it is a niche market with less competition." The company's ability to turn in bulk orders at short notice has seen it get repeat customers. The company has done corporate gifts for a host of companies like BankMuscat, Zubair Automotive, Nawras, Shell etc. Gifting is also a great sampling opportunity as it gives the company a chance to get its products into numerous homes. The other big advantage of this segment is that it guarantees better realisations as companies (and individuals) do not want to be seen gifting something that is too cheap. "We never say no to anyone, if we cannot handle the entire job ourselves, we outsource things like packaging to deliver on time," says Balakrishna.
Its openness to try out new things has helped the company get third party manufacturing contracts from overseas players. For example, Sweets of Oman manufactures Foley & Court chocolate packs for its Australian distributor. Its flexibility and ability to work within tough deadlines has worked with its international clientele as well. During Father's Day it came up with special tins with sports motifs and deep colours like burgundy, black and deep brown to appeal to the sensitivities of the Australian man. The company makes Dominion Sweets for ALDI, a large format store in Australia. The company also supplies to Shoprite in South Africa and Food World and Big Bazaar in India.

Distribution pangs

The company has had to use its ingenuity to rectify its distribution problems in the region. Sweets of Oman had initially used the conventional route of using established distributors in the confectionary business, but was quick to realise its mistake. "In Saudi Arabia there were distributors who had a turnover of RO10mn with a single product and had 10-15 such products," says Balakrishna. Sweets of Oman being a small player ended up being at the mercy of such big players. The latter were not ready to accede to its requests like providing them with dedicated trucks or giving their products adequate attention.
Realising its folly, the company decided to recruit smaller distributors whom it could nurture and grow. In the UAE it recruited Alpha 1, a freight forwarder, as its new distributor. The idea has worked well for both the partners and they have grown together. Sweets of Oman shows how the toughest of challenges can be cracked with a little bit of out-of-the box thinking.

Elco International Engineering

New partners and a fresh infusion of cash has worked wonders

The revival of the fortunes of engineering fabrication firm Elco International Engineer-ing Company (EIEC) is nothing short of a fairytale. In its previous avatar as Elco Industrial and Trading Co, it racked up years of persistent losses. According to A V Balakrishnan, deputy general manager, Elco Industrial and Trading Company was a part of the reputed Hussain and Taki group of companies. Following a split between the partners in 2001, the company headed downhill. Banks shied away from lending money and losses kept mounting. A major contract won by the erstwhile company from the Ministry of Oil and Gas did not go ahead and the company teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. The company, which employed hundreds during its heydays, was left with just 15 employees at the beginning of 2005. At the insistence of Balakrishnan, the owners decided to operate the company as a going concern. Shortly thereafter, a deal was struck to bring in new partners and shore up the financial base.

New lease of life

Following the injection of fresh capital of RO600,000 by the new partners in 2006, the fortunes turned around. Says Balakrishnan, "The company was reorganised and the partners decided to stick with the name Elco because of its strong brand equity."
Armed with renewed financial muscle, the company started tendering for projects and in May 2006 bagged a contract from Occidental Mukhaizna to fabricate and supply six high pressure vessels for the Mukhaizna enhanced oil recovery project in central Oman. "The 47-tonne, 15-metre long giant drums, known as Free Water Knockout Vessels (FWKO), were transported last month by special trailers for installation at Occidental's facility at Mukhaizna," informs Otto Heisele, general manager of EIEC.
The company is executing a number of projects for other companies as well. It has fared well financially so far this year and carries an order book to the tune of RO900,000 that should keep it busy well into the first quarter of 2008. Adds Heisele, "Now the situation has turned around for us. We are financially strong, our credit standing has improved with the banks and we are able to dictate terms to our suppliers who were earlier hesitant to deal with us."

EIEC, which is capable of designing, fabricating and manufacturing oil and gas
processing vessels and petrochemicals processing equipment, is now in the process of consolidating its business and ramping up production. "From four fuel tankers a month now, we plan to build six. For this we will be undertaking a capital expenditure of RO300,000 in 2008 to upgrade our plant and machinery," informs Heisele.

Heisele is focusing on improving the marketing to take it to other countries in the region as well. If things go according to plan, Elco will soon be bidding for projects in Abu Dhabi and Qatar in the near future.