What do consultants do?
Have you ever wondered what consultants do in their downtime? Me neither. However, while I was in Doha last month, I found out they have a new way to keep themselves occupied while they wait – and wait – for construction to begin in earnest for the World Cup in 2022, namely taking tours of […]
Stephen White, Editor, Construction Machinery MIddle East
Have you ever wondered what consultants do in their downtime? Me neither. However, while I was in Doha last month, I found out they have a new way to keep themselves occupied while they wait – and wait – for construction to begin in earnest for the World Cup in 2022, namely taking tours of trading houses and attending dealer open days.
Qatar has several large groups that run diverse operations. Take the OGE group for instance. It sells and rents heavy equipment and power solutions, but it also produces industrial chemicals, flooring and, most surprisingly, swimming pools.
The idea that consultants could end up at a wheel loader demonstration is a bizarre one but it is now highly likely as they busy themselves in preparation for when they are actually busy in 2013 (or is it 2014)?
It strikes me that a unique opportunity has presented itself to contractors and plant managers in Doha that really doesn’t exist anywhere else. Doha is a small place with big plans, most of which will be sculptured by consultants and engineers concerned with speccing projects.
Plant managers, fleet operators, even the trading houses and dealers should make the most of their free time while they can.
Obviously networking is helpful in a competitive market place, but being able to talk directly and openly before a trench is even dug could prove to be invaluable. Especially in Qatar, where it grows exceedingly likely that construction will need to be conducted at a pace and scale that could dwarf what has been seen elsewhere.
Costly and timely mistakes could be avoided and inventories could be properly planned for. The last thing Qatar can afford is the rush for equipment that almost killed off the industry in Dubai. We look at raising finance this month in CMME and there remains a distrust in lending for heavy equipment by some banks. Much of which was caused by planning for a pipeline that disappeared overnight but also because inventories were not properly managed and the wrong types of machines – albeit in hindsight – were ordered. Mistakes that even a decade away, Qatar can ill-afford
