Transformation in Construction
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced a very positive budget for 2019, signalling huge spending on infrastructure and development of smart cities, starting 2020. Al Salem Johnson Controls is observing and engaging with the dynamics of rolling out these projects, and considers itself a partner sharing the same vision.
Today’s requirements are much more than functional products and environmental performance; in addition, safety standards are rapidly evolving to shape demand. Johnson Controls Inc. traces its roots back 140 years, while the JV, Al Salem Johnson Controls has a history of over 60 in the Saudi market. This enables it to support these standards by providing a full range of integrated products, systems and solutions, supported by the largest specialised aftermarket team in the Middle East.
According to ‘Saudi Arabia’s Construction Market Overview 2018 and Beyond’ report, there are $284.3 billion worth of projects in the early stages of development in the Kingdom, with over 700 projects scheduled to start in the next few months, to be completed by or before 2022. Al Salem Johnson Controls is working actively on bringing the latest technologies to Saudi Arabia and localising them to support the construction infrastructure in the Kingdom. As such, the first HVAC-R magnetic bearing chiller technology has been introduced in Saudi Arabia in 2016. Furthermore, its engagement with global economies and technological advancement allows the company to satisfy local industry’s current and future requirements.
Achieving the Highest Levels of Sustainability
King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh is the largest smart city projects in the Kingdom and worldwide too, and is one of the landmarks of system integration globally, with more than 50 buildings and three skyscrapers. From the early design stages, Al Salem Johnson Controls was selected by the developer as the non-ICT systems integrator for the whole campus.
The non-ICT system included the building management system, integrated security systems, fire alarms, lighting controls, and energy metering systems. In addition to the detailed engineering designs and integration plans, Al Salem Johnson Controls supplied, integrated, and commissioned the state-of-the-art smart building automation and security systems for the campus to ensure a safe, secure, comfortable, and sustainable environment for the tenants.
Whatever the project, Al Salem Johnson Controls’ strategy is to capitalise on systems approach, to achieve the highest levels of sustainability and energy efficiency for the wellbeing of the community. And that sits well with the Government directives in developing smart cities and sustainable technologies.
It has been reported that Saudi Arabia is expected to spend over $500 billion modernising its infrastructure across the 285 municipalities. The Kingdom’s move to invest in emerging technologies has given Al Salem Johnson Controls the confidence, given the strong relationships and trust it has built up with the Government, to work together in developing smart and integrated solutions to develop sustainable smart cities.
Over the years, Al Salem Johnson Controls has collaborated with several government and private entities across multiple sectors, including education, healthcare, and hospitality.
Local Manufacturing
Guided by the objective to support the current transformation in Saudi Arabia, in line with Vision 2030, Al Salem Johnson Controls is actively looking for the best sustainable solutions for its clients, focusing on energy efficiency and water rationalisation. Moreover, in keeping up with the Kingdom’s effort to diversify the economy, our company is constantly working with Johnson Controls, Inc. to transfer global HVAC technologies to our local YORK manufacturing facility in Jeddah, were we manufacture a series of HVAC with the same global quality and standards. Our expansion plans include the opening of a new manufacturing facility, twice the size than the current one, located in King Abdullah Economic City, which will include several testing facilities and new production lines.
Al Salem Johnson Controls is committed to supporting solution and system integration in order to help to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, as well as being a dynamic smart long-term partner for all of its customers and projects, through its integrated smart efficiency solutions and aftermarket support.
Smart Solutions
Al Salem Johnson Controls is focused on providing balanced and fair management of resources, capabilities, and technologies, for the benefit of the entire eco-system. Digital transformation is already taking place in Saudi Arabia, with benefits not only extending to smarter construction and more efficiency, but also the diversification of the economy.
Additionally, artificial intelligence has the potential to boost economic growth in Saudi Arabia by 1.1 percentage points, adding $215 billion to the national economy by 2035.
Artificial Intelligence will have the greatest impact on the Kingdom’s manufacturing, public services, and professional services industries, with increases of $37 billion, $67 billion, and $26 billion, respectively, in their annual gross value added (GVA), which measures the output value of all goods and services in a sector.
Al Salem Johnson Controls has worked on a number of high profile projects in the region, some of which needed special customisation and innovative solutions to adapt to unique circumstances or requirements of the project. One of the most unique mega projects is the New King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, as it leverages a wide range of its integrated solutions, which include HVAC solutions with a total cooling capacity of 135,000 TR; security and control systems, including the Building Management System (BMS) that controls all major buildings and supporting facilities; as well as an operation and maintenance service contract for the entire new airport. The fact that the expected capacity of this new airport is 30 million passengers per year only highlights the magnitude of this challenge.
In Line with Vision 2030
The company’s achievements to date cannot be summarised over just one or two projects, but it prides itself in having developed the largest chiller in the world to serve the guests of Allah in Makkah, which has been installed in the Grand Mosque’s chiller plant. Al Salem Johnson Controls has also worked closely with the consultant and contractor, and developed the largest ice storage application in the world for maximum cooling efficiency and to overcome monumental challenges and restrictions in terms of space, water, and electricity usage for the Central Cooling Plant 2 at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.
Looking to the future, Al Salem Johnson Controls is committed being the No.1 choice for building efficiency and smart solutions, and a main contributor to the Saudi economy through its local factories, job opportunities for Saudi youth, training, and offering a smart, advanced, and contemporary workplace for its employees.
Al Salem Johnson Controls will keep working and striving towards breaking records, as it has already done on several of its projects, and actively contribute to diversifying the economy in line with Vision 2030.