KTI-PLERSCH Kältetechnik, a renowned German manufacturer of concrete cooling equipment, will be returning to The Big 5 Saudi this year to boost its business in Saudi Arabia, which is currently its largest market.

The company has been a regular exhibitor at The Big 5 shows in the region, having recently participated at the inaugural event in Kuwait last September (16 to 18) and participated at the expo in Dubai last November for the 15th consecutive year.

“At the Jeddah exhibition, the company intends to promote its new Greenline product range,” says Tobias Graf, area sales manager.

This range was showcased at The Big 5 show in Dubai last year alongside its cooling systems which attracted interest from several visitors. The Greenline plants are said to have received “overwhelming acceptance from a wide range of customers”.

These recently introduced products for the concrete industry are described as being economical, mainly because use of refrigerant is reduced to a minimum.

KTI was established in 1986 and operates globally, with its main focus areas being the Middle and Far East as well as the Mediterranean region. Its local operation KTI-Saudi has offices in Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh. Elsewhere in the GCC, the company has offices in the UAE, Qatar and Oman, which are its other main markets in the region.

KTI’s products are used in a wide range of industries, such as concrete production, fisheries and fish processing, food and meat processing, produce industry, chemical industry, and snow making.

They include ice water, cold water, flake ice, plate ice and block ice plants, ice storage and delivery systems, cold water tanks, steel frames, stairways and platforms, and accessories and components.

In the last 25 years, KTI has developed a complete range of products needed for the concrete industry.

Sales of KTI plant have surged as regulations on temperature control in the production of concrete have become more stringent in the last two decades, In fact, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) market has helped KTI-Plersch Kältetechnik grow by an average of 40 per cent every year since 2000.

KTI managing director Rupert Persch comments: “KTI is a pioneer in the concrete cooling sector and we strive for quality and perfection.”

Referring to the company’s successful relationship with Mena clients, he says: “The key is to understand the needs of customers and make plants to suit their requirements. We create plants the customer wants, regardless of our production capabilities.”

“KTI is way ahead of its competitors in terms of after-sales service. Without a proper and efficient after-sales service there would be no sales, which is why we have our parts and service centres in all the major locations,” he adds.

KTI, along with its Kuwait representative Gulf Group, participated in The Big 5 show in Kuwait last year, where the response from customers was “very good”, according to a company spokesman.

The company has more than 50 plants operational in Kuwait and has signed contracts for the supply of ice plants for existing customers who have chillers. “Customers understand that to achieve the required temperatures an ice plant is a must and hence many will be adding ice plants to their existing chiller systems,” he says.

To provide customers with a swift service, KTI has decided to station a service technician permanently in Kuwait.

“This will help in providing customers with timely and effective service. KTI will also hold stock of fast-moving parts in Kuwait,” says the spokesman.

KTI’s aggregate cooling systems, which combine a flake ice plant and cold water plant in one container, have been installed in numerous projects over the last  few months.

KTI-Saudi will be exhibiting at Stand 1D20 at The Big 5 Saudi.