Industry Experts Shed Light on the Growing GCC Infrastructure Market

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27 Mar 2018

Growing hunger for new infrastructure machinery and technology in the GCC has attracted industry leaders to The Big 5 Heavy 2018, now in day two of its launch edition at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

With 300 exhibitors from over 30 countries the event is the largest heavy construction show in the Middle East and offers construction professionals three days of business, networking, and education.

Over 40 complimentary workshops at The Big 5 Heavy are curated by trusted industry experts such as Omar Essam Barakat from The Chartered Institute of Building, who captures the GCC infrastructure outlook:

“If you are actually in the market, you know that with Expo 2020 and Vision 2030 the deadline is just the beginning of a very big plan.”

He reinforces that “Government Visions in this case are tools for setting the standard of continuing industry and I can confirm that we are bidding for many projects to come after the deadlines.”

With expertise in over 60 countries, Adriaan De Kok, Area Business Manager for Chevron Lubricants and parent company for Caltex, agrees that “given the volume of projects being planned and executed in the GCC region, we do expect the construction and infrastructure industry to pick-up at a fast pace and to grow in 2018,”,.

He adds, “The broader strategic initiatives announced by governments across the region will steer economic growth which in turn becomes a key driver for the construction industry.”



Confirming a positive trend, the first deal made on-site was between Saudi-based Sarmix, and Austrian Dorner Electronic represented in the region by Deewan Equipment, for a complete automation system to be used at Sarmix ready-mix factories.

In response to market growth, Dubai Municipality Building Department attend the event to rollout their new fast-track Branch Licensing initiative which offers a one-day commercial licence process.

“Traditionally, the branch licensing process would take some time, but by making it more convenient in line with Smart Dubai innovation we hope to welcome more skilled and forward thinking professionals to the flourishing region,” says Maryam Hassan Ahli, Senior Consultants & Contractors Prequalification Engineer at Dubai Municipality Building Department.

Event Director for The Big 5 Heavy Richard Pavitt comments on the successful launch of the show: “We are delighted to see so many market leaders from around the world excited to attend a dedicated show for the heavy machinery and infrastructure industries. The atmosphere here is a true reflection of the promise that growing GCC construction opportunities present.”