The Jassim Transport & Stevedoring Company (JTC) has evolved far beyond its original remit of inland transportation to offer a diverse range of logistics support services. Jayne Alverca reports.
Founded in 1979, JTC began with a small fleet of trucks offering a simple inland transport proposition. Thirty years down the line, the company is firmly positioned as the largest end-to-end logistics and specialist equipment leasing operation in Kuwait.
JTC has accelerated its growth in the last few years and currently has operations in four countries; other countries in the Middle East are targeted for further expansion in the near future. Port handling services and the rental of power generation equipment have also been added to supplement the core offering.
Diversity and flexibility lie at the heart of the JTC ethos, making the company equally adept at simple tasks such as supplying emergency power to a hospital, ranging up the spectrum to supporting shutdowns in refineries, assisting in the construction of new buildings, erecting communication towers or handling the complex transport and erection requirements of refinery vessels weighing hundreds of metric tons.
Now, in a fresh surge of activity, the company is consolidating its reach across the entire MENA region. In response to the global demand for oil and gas, the economy of the United Arab Emirates is booming with a huge demand for leased equipment to service the sector. To meet this demand, JTC has recently launched a new office to supply companies in the United Arab Emirates in need of quality equipment and services from a reputable and trusted logistics provider.
Phil Reid, United Arab Emirates country manager for JTC, sees it as a great opportunity for JTC to extend its geographical footprint and widen its customer base to include contractors currently unable to find suitable equipment solutions in the United Arab Emirates. He stated: "We are excited to be opening this new equipment leasing office in Abu Dhabi, the seat of the oil and gas sector in the United Arab Emirates. There is a visible surge in activity in the sector in Abu Dhabi, and many contractors, both old and new, trust in JTC to provide the same quality services and equipment they have for over 30 years. Add to this the numerous major development projects erupting all over Abu Dhabi, and the decision for JTC to open this new office was a natural choice."
The new office suite is situated on the top floor of the prestigious Al Fahim building in Mussafah Industrial area and from here the service team will be able to outfit companies within Abu Dhabi and the whole of the United Arab Emirates with leased equipment such as mobile cranes ranging from 40 to 300 tons, to generators, tower lights, materials handling equipment and more.
Reid believes that projects and contractors who lease equipment from JTC want the total peace of mind associated with leasing from a professional contractor using the latest equipment—sourced from the best global brands—and maintained and operated by qualified personnel trained to the highest international standards.
Productivity is key to successful project completion and a key aspect of the overall service offering is the ability to respond quickly and effectively to breakdowns or unscheduled operational issues which can still take place despite the most meticulous maintenance routines. Consequently, JTC has a professional team of recovery engineers who are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to attend to equipment problems on site. State-of-the-art workshop, stores and training facilities are located in each country of operation.
Mirroring the business model in Kuwait, the emphasis is on flexibility and so all equipment can be supplied with or without operators and with on or off site service support tailored specifically to each client’s requirements.
In total, the JTC equipment leasing fleet now comprises over 1,000 distinct equipment choices which include mobile, construction and industrial solutions including cranes, excavators, trucks, passenger and utility vehicles, as well as materials handling equipment such as forklifts and reach stackers. The industrial fleet comprises generators, welding machines, tower lights and compressors.
The latest move into the United Arab Emirates signifies a commitment to an aggressive growth strategy and a determination to become a leader in the region's logistics services market. However, it is just one of several new areas of activity for JTC.
In January 2011, the company announced a new area of operation at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port as an extension of the services already available at Shuwaikh port. The company now offers roll-on roll-off stevedoring services for the loading and discharging of vehicles and equipment from ships. The additional presence at Shuaiba means that the Kuwait Ports Authority can offer importers and exporters a new level of choice in solutions for their stevedoring and logistics needs.
In April a new power rental division was launched to provide top-quality power generation solutions to Kuwait, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and throughout the MENA region. Fifteen million US dollars has been invested in generators to rent to power projects and industrial projects. The service was introduced to meet a high demand for temporary power in the region and JTC is already running operations in Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. By creating a specific division to deal with the activity, the business will gain the attention and focus needed to enable it to realize its full potential.
Meanwhile, JTC is also opening new offices and facilities in Saudi Arabia at an investment of $15 million. A further investment of $10 million is being made in Iraq, where JTC began operations last year in a contract logistics venture with FH Bertling to service the oil and gas industry.
More announcements are expected in the coming months. New product and service areas are under constant evaluation and the company has stated its intention to grow both organically and through acquisition. The economic activity of the Middle East presents a plethora of new market opportunities and JTC is determined to be at the forefront of exploiting them.
