A 50th anniversary typically speaks of endurance, longevity and customer satisfaction. What else does the milestone signify for FAWAZ?

We have been in the market for a long time, during which we have had several opportunities to meet the specific needs of our customers and address even formidable challenges. In this manner, we have established a solid base of leadership, trust and reliability across the region. And our clients have reciprocated our approach to them with their repeat business over the years – they know they can fully trust FAWAZ.

As we stand at the significant milestone of a 50th anniversary, we are confident we are well-positioned for continued success in the years to come. We are able to say this, because we have the robust backing of a team that is dedicated and equally skilled. Indeed, our strength is our set of employees – the unparalleled commitment we get from them is a significant factor behind our success.

What is FAWAZ’s long-term vision and strategy? Fifty years on, what is your assessment of your progress?

Over the past 50 years, we have made significant progress towards the long-term vision of becoming a leader in the industry. It is nothing short of remarkable that FAWAZ has grown from a small contracting and maintenance company into a leading provider of facility management, manufacturing, engineering and HVAC services. Not only that, it has also expanded its business into new markets, including Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. FAWAZ’s long-term vision is to be a leader in its industry. The strategy is to focus on relentlessly providing high-quality products and services to customers. And we are committed to investing in new technologies and to developing our employees.

What major specific challenges has the company faced in the last 50 years that perhaps needed
a recalibration of efforts and adaptability?

We have had to overcome many challenges and setbacks along the way, some of them being economic volatility, increased competition, the changing needs of our customers and rapid technological advancements.

The Middle East economy has experienced significant volatility in recent years, owing to the oil price collapse and the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made it difficult for FAWAZ
to plan and invest in new growth opportunities.

Hand in hand with that is an environment of increased competition. The Middle East market for facilities management, trading, manufacturing and HVAC contracting services is becoming increasingly competitive. This has made it more challenging for us to maintain our market share and profitability.

Another challenge is the constantly changing needs of our customers; for example, today, they are demanding sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. As FAWAZ, we need to be able to adapt to these changes to remain successful.

Yet another challenge has to do with rapid technological advancements; indeed, the market is extremely dynamic. This makes a demand on us to invest in new technologies to remain competitive.

To overcome the challenges, we have had to recalibrate our efforts and to become more adaptable. For instance, in response to economic volatility, we have diversified our portfolio of services and expanded into new markets. And as a response to increased competition, we have focused on developing FAWAZ’s
core competencies and providing value-added services to customers. Further, in response to the changing needs of our customers, we have developed a new range of sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. We have also invested in customer relationship management (CRM) software to better understand and meet the needs of our customers.

How has the company evolved and adapted to changing market conditions and consumer preferences over the past 50 years?

FAWAZ has had to adapt to these changes to stay ahead of the competition. It was necessary to recalibrate our efforts and become more adaptable. We have done this by focusing on strategic planning. We have developed a new strategic plan that focuses on the company’s key strengths and competitive advantages. The plan also identifies FAWAZ’s key growth opportunities.

Along the way, we have also developed new products and services. These meet the dynamic and changing needs of our customers. For example, we have developed a new range of energy-efficient HVAC solutions – we are immensely proud of the portfolio of products.

The technology landscape in the facility management, trading, manufacturing and HVAC contracting sectors is constantly evolving. By way of response, we have had to invest in new technologies to keep up with the competition and meet the changing needs of our clients.

What key decisions has FAWAZ taken over the years that have shaped and defined its destiny? Over the years, we have taken a significant number of key decisions. One of them is to focus on integrated services. We can say with pride that FAWAZ offers a wide range of services, including trading, engineering, HVAC contracting and manufacturing. This has been a key factor for success, as it has allowed us to build strong relationships with our precious clients and to become a trusted partner.

Another key decision has been to invest in technology and innovation. As FAWAZ, we have always been at the forefront of technological innovation in the engineering and contracting industry. This has allowed us to offer our clients better solutions, and to maintain a competitive advantage. We have expanded our presence in six countries in the GCC region, which has given us access to a larger market. We have also been selective in our geographic expansion, focusing on countries with strong economies.

We have invested in training and development programmes for our employees. This has allowed us to build a team of highly skilled and experienced professionals. As FAWAZ, we tremendously value diversity and inclusion in the workplace – this has created a culture where all employees feel valued and respected.

Could you elaborate on the growth of the company’s two core business lines in the last 50 years and on expansion plans?

FAWAZ’s business lines have grown significantly over the last five decades. They include trading and facility management (FM). The trading business line has grown to such an extent that we have become one of the major regional distributors and suppliers of high-quality engineering products and integrated solutions. FAWAZ today represents a wide range of internationally renowned manufacturers. Our product portfolio includes equipment and materials for the HVAC, oil and gas, petrochemical, power, institutional, commercial and residential sectors. The FAWAZ Trading division has grown rapidly in recent years. As a company, we have expanded our reach, driven by the GCC region’s booming construction and infrastructure development sectors. We have gone into new markets within the GCC and the Middle East regions.

Our FM business line is equally a matter of pride for the company. It provides a comprehensive range
of services and integrated solutions to our clients in various sectors, including oil and gas, petrochemical, power, institutional, commercial and residential. Our services include HVAC maintenance, plumbing maintenance, electrical maintenance, fire protection maintenance and building management systems. FAWAZ’s FM division has also experienced significant growth in recent years, in terms of client base and the services offered. This is indicated by the fact that we employ nearly 5,000 qualified professionals across the GCC region.

Could you provide a comprehensive overview of the company’s facilities and features, including showrooms, facility management support and warehouses?

We at FAWAZ have several facilities that enable us to provide our clients with the highest quality of products and services. These include showrooms, a vast facility management workshop and warehouses.

Today, we can say with pride that we have showrooms in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Oman and
Qatar. These showrooms display a wide range of products and services for refrigeration, accessories for
HVAC systems, ventilation systems, firefighting, security systems and water supply systems. We employ experienced engineers and technicians who can provide our clients with expert advice and support.

Our FM workshop is well equipped. It is staffed by qualified and experienced technicians who can undertake a wide range of tasks, including the overhauling of compressors, rewinding and repair of motors, general fabrication and machining, repair of electronics and other related services.

Our warehouses serve all our projects across diversified business lines. They feature a heavy-duty, multistoreyed racking system with material-handling facilities, safety and security systems and the effective utilisation of the Microsoft Dynamics ERP Inventory Module. The warehouses are run by experienced personnel with proficiency in handling computerised transactions and inventory management.

This is an era of disruptive technologies, and business and financial approaches? What are FAWAZ’s organisation principles? 

The current era is characterised by rapid technological change and disruption. Businesses and financial institutions must adapt to these changes to remain competitive and thriving. As FAWAZ, we have been able to thrive in this challenging environment by adhering to a set of core organisational principles, such as customer focus, innovation, agility, quality and safety.

When it comes to customer focus, as FAWAZ, we make it a point to listen to our customers with the intention of comprehensively understanding their needs and requirements. Hand in hand with that is our ethos of innovation. Indeed, as FAWAZ, we are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to improve our products, services and processes.

Our ability to be agile is a key aspect of our success. As FAWAZ, we are able to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer demands.

We pride ourselves in the quality of our service. As FAWAZ, we are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products and services, with no compromise, whatsoever.

Speaking of compromise, we never ever compromise on safety. As FAWAZ, we have a commitment to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers, stakeholders and the public.

Broadly speaking, our adherence to these core organisational principles have enabled us to achieve success in a wide range of industries, including engineering, manufacturing, trading and facility management.

What is FAWAZ’s approach to ESG? What makes FAWAZ a conscientious company?

We have a strong commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, which is strongly evident in our approach to business and to operations. We treat the environment with the utmost respect and adhere to strict green guidelines. We proactively set ambitious goals to reduce our environmental impact and improve sustainability. We use resources wisely, reduce waste and promote recycling.

We are equally committed to being a socially responsible organisation. We intensely care about everyone
we work with and promote open communication. We are committed to diversity, inclusivity and employee wellbeing. To give an example, we ensure that we offer career growth opportunities.

We uphold strong ethics in all that we do, with a broad oversight of ESG issues for accountability. ESG factors guide our risk management, and we comply with the law – reporting both successes and challenges.

As FAWAZ, we are a conscientious company. Indeed, we go beyond simply complying with laws and regulations. We are committed to operating in an ethical, sustainable and responsible manner, delivering long-term value creation, transparency, accountability, continuous improvement and adaptability to changing circumstances. We invest in initiatives that benefit our employees, the communities in which we operate and the environment.

How does FAWAZ align itself with regional and global socio- economic and sustainable development targets?

We are strongly committed to regional and global socio-economic and sustainable development targets.
We align ourselves with these in a number of ways, in terms of providing employment and economic opportunities. We are a major employer in Kuwait and in the GCC region, and are committed to hiring and training workers. We also support local businesses by sourcing products and services from them, whenever possible.

As a company, we promote environmental sustainability and support social causes through ensuring sustainable practices and through giving stewardship to initiatives that benefit society in a profound manner.