Sennebogen focuses on quality as it eyes expansion in Saudi Arabia

That’s according to Sennebogen’s managing director Erich Sennebogen, who spoke to Construction Briefing at the Heavy Equipment Connect 2026 trade show in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, last week (2-4 February).

The joint venture involves an estimated investment of SAR 220 million (US$58.7 million) and sees Sennebogen forming closer ties with the equipment division of Pipe & Well O. & M. Services Co (PWS), which is a subsidiary of Saudi conglomerate Abdel Hadi Abdullah Al-Qahtani & Sons Co (AHQ).

Erich Sennebogen said that the joint venture meant the “next level” of co-operation with PWS in terms of machine sales and service for its crawler lattice boom cranes, having distributed machines in Saudi Arabia for many years.

“We have been together for three years now and I think we have made a big step ahead,” Sennebogen said. “That is of course in sales but I think probably service is the decisive part – that is what the customer requires and what differentiates us from other brands. We are very happy to have such a partner here and are ready for an exciting future.”

He added that the company would emphasise the quality of its machines and the after-sales service it can offer to Saudi Arabian customers. “We offer the whole package with the customer in the centre and I think we have good chances here,” he said. “We are taking fast decisions with a clear focus and if we can bring that to the customer then that offers a good differentiation.”

Representing joint venture partner PWS Equipment Division, general manager Mohamed Atia Nosser said that the two companies wanted to understand the challenges construction companies in the Kingdom face to offer them bespoke solutions.

“The commonality between Sennebogen and PWS is the flexibility and the tailoring of deals and packages as per customer requirements, it’s not trading on simple manufacturing - it’s about engineering and solutions for customers and their projects,” he said.

Beyond lifting

Sennebogen said that the lifting business is “very strong” in Saudi Arabia, as can be seen by the huge number of cranes currently in operation on jobsites all over the country.

A Sennebogen lattice crawler crane at work on The Line megaproject in the Neom special economic zone of Saudi Arabia (Image courtesy of Sennebogen)

While heavy duty cranes, lattice boom crawler cranes and telescopic cranes make up the bulk of the machines Sennebogen is supplying to the market, he said he saw opportunities for other machines that the company produces.

“The green machines are still missing but we are working on that. The material handling business has a great future here in terms of steel mills and scrap recycling. Then of course there is demolition – when you build new things, old things have to be demolished. And going further there is sorting and recycling waste materials. I think sustainability and the environment is a big part of the discussion here so that gives us a good opportunity,” he added.

“Another segment is ports. So we are well positioned – we have the right solutions and if we don’t have a direct match for the customer then we will make it.”

Meanwhile, Hassan Al-Shehri, senior manager machinery and equipment at Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development Center (NIDC) said it was offering support to the relationship between the two companies both before the deal was executed and afterwards.

That includes grants and incentives from the government worth around SAR 50 million (US$13.3 million) and guarantees of a minimum level of demand from projects in the Kingdom.