News

This article appeared in the April 2007 edition of Oil & Gas Middle East.

Electrical supplier will try to introduce a new customer service standard to the region’s oil and gas industry

R&M Electrical Group, a UK supplier of electrical equipment to the oil and gas sector, will open a warehouse in the Al Quoz Industrial Area in Dubai. The warehouse will complement R&M’s existing branches in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

“Our Dubai warehouse will be a stocking location to service the oil and gas industry in the Middle East,” said Jim Graham, R&M’s Middle East regional director.

“What we’re trying to do is bring a UK customer service mentality to the Middle East, which is much stronger and more focused than what we’ve seen over here. A lot of traders and distributors do not focus on the customer.

“The UK is a very mature market and the expectations have always been very high. They know the companies they can trust. What you have now is a lot of British expatriates coming over to Dubai, who expect the same level of customer service. The region is lagging behind the UK in that regard and it is the responsibility of companies like R&M to help raise the standard.”

R&M will move in to the new warehouse in April, and be fully operational by 1 May. The company has access to US $6 million worth of stock spread over all of its locations.

“One of the things we’re not frightened of doing is holding stock,” added Graham. “A lot of distributors take an order, but it takes them four weeks to deliver.”

R&M will focus on the oil and gas projects market, specialising in the supply of flameproof and hazardous area electrical equipment and cables. “We want to build solid relationships with our customers, and that means having myself in front of them, rather than just people sitting behind a desk taking orders.

“We need to make sure we are working with the contractors: not just supplying them, but partnering with them, so we become a distribution partner. We want to be transparent with companies and allow them access to our stock levels. Customer service is so important because it is such a fast moving industry. Projects are fast-tracked more than ever now.”