Officine Maccaferri SpA and the Industrial Development Company (IDC) will establish a partnership in Saudi Arabia, to offer solutions for erosion control, soil stabilisation, retaining structures and natural hazard mitigation within the infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, landfills and coastal protection market sectors.

IDC advances the construction industry in the country through providing innovative civil engineering solutions and Maccaferri is a global supplier of advanced solutions to the civil, geotechnical and environmental construction markets. Today in Riyadh, in the presence of the Italy’s Minister of Economic Development Federica Guidi, the companies announced their plans to establish a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to form a partnership to design, supply and install retaining structures, soil reinforcement, ground stabilisation, rockfall protection and natural hazard mitigation solutions.

These solutions will feature products manufactured and sourced by Maccaferri and IDC, which will include double-twist steel wire mesh gabions and Reno Mattresses, geosynthetic products such as geogrids, geomembranes and drainage geocomposites, and rockfall mitigation systems.

The partnership is intended to promote on a regional basis, the use of these solutions for construction projects and the built environment, overcoming clients’ engineering problems and reducing their risk. This initiative in the region will draw upon the global engineering knowledge and capabilities of Maccaferri and deliver this service at a local level within the Gulf, whether this is a small retaining wall in a housing development or a massive reinforced soil super-structure on a major highway.

The solutions offered are developed from high-quality durable materials, which enhance the service life of the works, reduce environmental impact and provide client reassurance.

IDC board chairman Mubarak A Al-Khafrah said: "We strongly believe that this partnership with Officine Maccaferri enables a solid development in the infrastructure business for IDC through innovative and eco-friendly solutions, in addition to adhering to the national agenda by assuring the transfer of the latest and most innovative technical know-how and job creation.

"We are confident we can develop a $30m a year business within the next few years and hope to extend this partnership to the whole GCC region".

The establishment of the partnership is subject to customary closing conditions.

For more information, please contact Maccaferri.