58-unit SDLG order gets to work in Saudi Arabia

 58 SDLG machines sold to the Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company (SAJCO) in late 2016 have clocked as much as 1,000 hours in six months working on a country-wide road maintenance initiative in Saudi Arabia.

Made up of 20 projects funded by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Transport in seven different regions, the work being carried out by the SAJCO began in April 2016 and is due to conclude in April 2019.

The SDLG machines, 30 LG958L wheel loaders and 28 G9220 motor graders, were supplied by the national dealer for the brand, Al-Futtaim Auto and Machinery Company (FAMCO).

Motasim Abulhasan, SDLG central region sales manager at FAMCO, said: “In the beginning, SAJCO requested two and a half cubic meter loaders but we advised them to choose the LG958L because it has a three cubic meter bucket, meaning it can handle greater workloads.”

According to the manufacturer, the LG958L has excellent traction, high breakout force and a reliable, robust structure, which, added by high fuel efficiency and uptime, ensures high productivity.

“In addition to support from the dealer, our product support team will visit the sites every six months to review machine performance,” noted Paulo Cristiani, product support manager at SDLG.

“Some graders and loaders have already clocked an impressive 1,000 hours in under six months.”

“As for the graders,” Abulhasan added: “SAJCO needed a machine with a 4.27m plate and a power rating above 150kW; for that, the G9220 grader was perfect.”

The G9220 has a 164kW Dalian Deutz engine with ZF power shift transmission offers three distinct power curve settings, allowing it be to be optimised to produce the smoothest grade on any surface while also reducing fuel consumption.

Mohammed Al-Nahas, senior technical advisor at SAJCO, commented: “The machines have exceeded our expectations in terms of quality and performance, and we will definitely look to SDLG for more machines in the future. We are also satisfied with the support we’ve been receiving from FAMCO.”

At the time of purchase, SDLG/FAMCO’s short lead time was also cited as an important advantage.

The deal also builds on existing sales to SAJCO, and Essam Al-Malik, central regional manager at FAMCO, added: “This deal is great for everyone involved. SAJCO is operating a fleet of reliable and robust SDLG machines and we are benefitting from working with a high-profile customer.

“SAJCO is considered one of biggest contractors in the country, and having 58 of our units strategically located across the Kingdom will dramatically improve SDLG’s visibility.”

Established in 1965, Shibh Al-Jazira is one of the largest contractors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and operates a fleet of over 1,500 machines.

The 58 SDLG units are now working in Abha, Qassim, the Northern Borders, the Eastern Province, Jeddah, Madinah and Riyadh.