Bawan Engineering the holding company for UTEC and USSG companies provides an integrated, state-of-the-art range of electricity distribution and control solutions across Saudi, GCC, Middle East & Africa. Wael Gad, Bawan Engineering CEO, has recently been recognised as CEO of the Year, 2021 – Saudi Arabia and here he explains in-depth the soul and innovation behind the Bawan Engineering reputation.
Bawan Engineering was founded in 1980 in Riyadh, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), with a vision to provide state-of-the-art range of electricity distribution and control solutions. It is a holding company with several companies operating in manufacturing of Distribution Transformers (UTEC), Substations, and Switchgears (USSG). It aims to serve utilities, renewable energy developments, and private sector infrastructure developers across Saudi, GCC, Middle East & Africa.
Using a fully controlled ERP & CRM process, projects are closely monitored and reviewed internally as well as with the clients to guarantee continuous customers satisfaction.
Wael Gad, CEO of Bawan Engineering, explains, “We believe that power empowers a better life for cities and communities, and that is why we are committed to developing smarter and sustainable products and solutions. Likewise, we want to empower the lives of our communities, partners, employees and customers.” To achieve this vision, Bawan invests heavily in R&D, product innovation, and the development of its people. In addition, Wael explains, “We work closely with both our customers and partners to deliver on all their current and future needs.”
Being a part of a large, publicly listed conglomerate, ‘Bawan Group’, gives the company a lot of strength in partnering with the best suppliers and getting the best services from them, which in turn is reflected into excellent services for clients.
Wael states, “Our company is reputed to deliver the best quality products and services in the market thanks to the strict execution of our processes, handpicked best in class employees and our continuous commitment to delivery excellence. We are also one of the few players in our industry that possesses the capabilities and skills to execute mega and complex projects fulfilling the complete electrification scope for any development due to the full portfolio of products and services that we are offering.”
As mentioned earlier, Bawan Engineering is directly correlated to the infrastructure developments across the region, with a particular focus on the KSA. As Megaprojects evolve across Saudi and as renewable energy developments continue to advance throughout the region, we envision the potential in different product segments within the industry.
We asked Wael about the trends influencing the industry, he said, “the primary trend influencing the industry is adopting innovative smart grid solutions with increasing needs for IoT and digitalisation features, allowing better connectivity, predictability, and serviceability of the full electrification and energy products, this is what Bawan Engineering calls Electricity 4.0”.
Wael explains, “We all know that climate change is the biggest challenge of our generation, and to best tackle it, the world is re-thinking its relationship with energy, which is responsible for over 80 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. With Electricity 4.0, we can power the New Electric World through more sustainable and more resilient solutions. We firmly believe that a sustainable solution is having a world that is more electricity digitized since electricity is the fastest route to cleaner, smarter, more efficient energy.”
In a race against time, electricity offers the fastest, safest, and most cost-effective way to decarbonise societies. Electricity is the most efficient energy, proven to be three to five times more efficient than other sources, and the best decarbonisation vector. Bawan Engineering expects to see six times more electricity coming from renewables globally by 2040, from six percent today to more than 40 percent within the next 20 years.
Wael added, “During this transformation of energy generation, we foresee two other positive outcomes. Firstly, fewer energy transmission losses since renewables provide energy in a much more decentralised way, at any scale and in closer proximity to their point of use. Secondly, a shift toward renewables will help people worldwide access energy, whether that be in already developed or developing countries.
Wael also explains, “To keep contributing to the advances in smart grids solutions, we employ large R&D, engineering and design teams equipped with the latest design tools and testing labs. In addition to this, we have developed a wide range of partnerships across different business aspects where we share the latest developments in product innovation, smart energy solutions, design optimisation and manufacturing advancements. Furthermore, we invest heavily in developing our people and exposing them to the latest trends in the industry.”
Bawan Engineering has a highly diversified culture that promotes innovation, continuous development, inclusion, and cross-functional collaboration, with its focus solely and primarily remaining on its clients. Wael states, “We have different employee development programs emphasising our business ethics, core values and exceeding our clients’ expectations. We continuously measure the satisfaction of our clients (NPS) and make sure that we are rectifying any deficiencies and always striving to satisfy our clients.”
For Bawan Engineering, being an ‘employer of choice’ is a crucial objective continuously being worked on. This overall aim is met starting from the employee selection process, which includes technical testing, personality testing and cultural fit reviews and goes through onboarding procedures, people development and career progression planning. Throughout this process, Bawan Engineering makes sure that it attracts and retains the best-in-class talents within the industry.
Wael also commented,” we foresee continuous pressure on pricing as products are commoditised where only companies with efficient manufacturing and continuous optimisation on engineering and design can continue being competitive, also the continuous adaptation of renewable energy generation, smart grids, and smart connected solutions (IoT) will shape how companies will develop their products, services and the way they do business.
