Kanoo Automotive and Industrial Equipment (KAIE), which has grown to become one of the largest divisions of the Bahrain-based Ebrahim K. Kanoo B.S.C (c), has recently been rebranded as KAIE. This is following its expansion into the industrial sector.

Starting out at a small garage, Kanoo Automotive and Industrial Equipment evolved to become a full-fledged automotive and industrial equipment division of Ebrahim K. Kanoo. It represents more than 40 international partner brands serving well Bahrain’s automotive and industrial sectors with high quality products and services.

KAIE was launched in the early 1980s as an in-house solution aimed at enhancing Toyota’s business in the kingdom. In the mid-90s, the small garage equipment division became a trading arm called the ‘Mercantile Division’, which provided supplies and installations to a few prominent customers, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Toyota Motor Corporation – Bahrain Representative Office (TMC-BRO), National Motor Company (NMC) and Awal Plastics.

By early 2000, the division had only six product brands and three staff members and struggled to cater to in-house and external market requirements with its limited resources.

KAIE’s sales manager Sudhindra Kalibhat explained that was a turning point as it triggered the search for more automotive aftermarket equipment and tools, resulting in the addition of 20 international brands to its portfolio, which were subsequently introduced to Bahrain’s automotive market within the next four years.

The year 2004 marked the milestone launch of the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), which coincided with a rise in tourism. This, along with the kingdom’s status as a GCC financial services hub, resulted in a stronger market that allowed the division to thrive.

Kalibhat ...KAIE will continue to explore new opportunities.

“By the end of 2005, the division became Kanoo Automotive Equipment (KAE) and moved to a new showroom in Sanad, expanding the structure of its operations team to sustain further anticipated growth,” Kalibhat continued. “The following year, the division faced the major challenge of supplying equipment and tools to Ebrahim K. Kanoo’s Toyota Plaza, the largest and most advanced Toyota facility in the world, and one of the kingdom’s largest projects at the time. KAE successfully completed this project while at the same time expanding its product portfolio.”

In a market with low quality offerings throughout that decade, KAIE was able to maintain the customer trust it had cultivated over the years due to the high quality of its products and its consistently superior after-sales service, he added.

Kalibhat said the division will continue exploring industry opportunities and introducing innovative product and services in the coming years.

This year, KAIE became the first division of Ebrahim K. Kanoo to receive the Integrated Management System (IMS) certification in quality management system standards (ISO 9001:2015) and occupational health and safety assessment specifications (OHSAS 18001:2007), further adding to its brand promise of quality and value.

KAIE is the sole distributor for a number of high quality automotive and industrial equipment and tools manufacturers. These include cranes, tyre service equipment, vehicle body repair and paint equipment, air compressors, diagnostic tools and many more. Its office is located at Toyota Plaza Service Station complex in Tubli, Bahrain.