Revolutionizing the Access and Industrial Sectors with a Human-Centric Approach
Ash T. Arshad, the Executive General Manager of Resa Gulf Scaffolding (RGS), is a trailblazer in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. With RGS, he has developed innovative business models that prioritize client needs, collaborating with competitors to deliver tailored solutions. Under his leadership, RGS has made significant strides in empowering local talent, launching training initiatives that have boosted Saudi national recruitment from 8% to 42% in just a year. The company has also made notable progress in promoting diversity, increasing female representation among skilled workers from 2% to 11%. RGS has worked on high-profile projects, including the Dammam Port, Abqaiq Refinery, and the Ministry of Finance renovation in Riyadh. As a prominent figure in the industry, Ash T. Arshad’s insights on RGS’s transformation and growth offer valuable lessons for professionals and organizations alike.
In an industry often characterized by rigid hierarchies, transactional mindsets, and commoditized services, one company is challenging the status quo. RESA Gulf Scaffolding (RGS) is not only redefining what it means to be a leader in the access and industrial services sectors, but it is also doing so by tearing down the walls between vendor and client, supplier and buyer, and replacing them with something far more powerful: partnership.
Welcome to the new era of Business-for-Business (B4B)—a strategy grounded in co-creation, shared outcomes, and long-term collaboration. At the center of RGS’s transformation is a deeply human philosophy: People-for-People (P4P). This is not just a clever tagline. It’s a cultural shift that’s empowering teams, enabling growth, and fundamentally changing how industrial service companies operate.
The Evolution – From a Service Provider to a Strategic Partner
Founded with a legacy in scaffolding and access solutions, RGS has evolved into a multi-disciplinary industrial services company offering scaffolding, insulation, fireproofing, waterproofing, and specialist access systems. Yet what sets RGS apart isn’t just its service lines – it’s the mindset with which those services are delivered.
In traditional B2B models, success is measured in volumes sold and contracts closed. But for RGS, success is defined by how well they enable their customers to succeed. This is the essence of B4B. Rather than acting as a distant supplier, RGS embeds itself into its clients’ ecosystems—aligning goals, sharing risk, and engineering customized solutions that drive mutual value.
“B4B isn’t a catchphrase—it’s a commitment,” says Ash T. Arshad, Executive General Manager of RGS. “We don’t just work for our clients; we work with them. Our success depends entirely on theirs.”
Strategic Partnerships – The Cornerstone of the B4B Model
One of the clearest expressions of RGS’s B4B philosophy is its approach to partnerships. RGS has developed an ecosystem of strategic collaborators—from scaffold manufacturers and safety specialists to EPC contractors and plant owners. These relationships are not simply transactional. They are deeply integrative, built on trust, transparency, and a shared ambition to improve industry standards.
For instance, rather than relying on general-purpose solutions, RGS works with material and technology providers to co-develop products tailored to the specific needs of industrial clients. The introduction of the V-Deck system, a modular suspended platform used for accessing complex pipe racks, is a prime example of how co-innovation can replace outdated tube-and-fitting scaffolding in critical environments—cutting erection times, improving safety, and lowering total installed cost.
This collaborative R&D approach ensures that RGS clients benefit from the most effective and innovative tools, while suppliers gain deeper market insight and a clearer route to long-term customer loyalty.
Engineering Innovation into the Core
While many companies speak of innovation, RGS operationalizes it. The company has built a culture of continuous improvement across its value chain—from digital estimation and project controls to material tracking and logistics optimization.
Through ERP integration, real-time data dashboards, and structured site feedback mechanisms, RGS is able to align operational performance with customer expectations. This data-centric model doesn’t just drive internal efficiency; it enhances customer transparency, reduces rework, and creates a cycle of learning and refinement.
Beyond technology, innovation also takes the form of creative business models. RGS offers hybrid commercial terms—ranging from turnkey project pricing to performance-based outcomes—that give clients flexibility and confidence. With cost predictability and outcome accountability built into contracts, RGS transforms traditional vendor dynamics into strategic joint ventures.
People for People (P4P) – A Human-Centric Approach to Performance
At the heart of the RGS model is its People-for-People philosophy. In a sector where human capital often gets overlooked, RGS has made workforce empowerment a strategic priority. From site laborers to engineers, from project managers to procurement officers, everyone at RGS is trained to think in terms of relationships, not roles.
“We recognize that behind every successful scaffolding design, insulation wrap, or fireproofing spray is a person—skilled, motivated, and accountable,” says Arshad. “That’s why P4P is more than an HR policy—it’s a business strategy.”
To support this, RGS has invested in international recruitment partnerships, technical training academies, and local workforce development initiatives. Scaffolders, engineers, technicians, and waterproofing applicators from a variety of international locations are rigorously assessed before deployment. Meanwhile, Saudi nationals are enrolled in structured on-the-job training programs aimed at building long-term careers in industrial services.
The result? A workforce that’s aligned, skilled, and emotionally invested in customer success.
Building a Culture of Co-Creation
RGS’s P4P and B4B models intersect most powerfully in how the company engages with customers during project planning and execution. Project teams are not handed a rigid scope; they are brought into early design discussions, asked to challenge assumptions, and encouraged to propose better ways of delivering results.
This co-creation mindset is particularly valuable in shutdowns, turnarounds, and high-risk environments—where timing, safety, and coordination are critical. RGS teams are trained to “think like owners,” often identifying time or cost savings that even clients hadn’t considered.
The message to customers is simple but profound: we are not your contractor; we are your partner in success.
A Blueprint for the Future
As RGS looks to the future, its strategy remains clear: deepen partnerships, enable innovation, and empower people. The company is now expanding its B4B model into digital procurement, intelligent material systems, and even joint ventures with plant operators.
At the same time, the P4P approach will evolve into a fully integrated performance management framework—where every employee is measured not just by tasks completed, but by value contributed to customer outcomes.
In doing so, RGS is not just responding to market needs. It is actively reshaping the expectations of what industrial service providers can be.
From Legacy to Leadership
In an age of disruption, companies that cling to legacy models will be left behind. But those that embrace partnership, co-creation, and human-centered performance will lead.
RGS is proof of that.
By transforming itself from a traditional contractor into a strategic ally, RGS is not only securing its place at the top of the access and industrial services sector—it is showing the entire industry how to get there.
Because in the end, the best business isn’t done between companies. It’s done between people, for people.
To find out more about Resa Gulf Scaffolding Co. Ltd. (RGS) visit:
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