Quality, not price, is emerging as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s main competitive edge as it seeks to broaden the share of its non-oil exports throughout the global markets, according to a leading Saudi manufacturer. Saleh Nasser Al Sorayai, Managing Director, Al-Sorayai Trading and Industrial Group, says that the adoption of stricter quality measures has enabled his company to extend its export reach to 65 countries.
Al-Sorayai Trading and Industrial Group, one of the largest carpet manufacturer in the world and ranked among Saudi Arabia’s top 100 companies, attributes the growing association of Saudi industries with high quality to the productive efforts of the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO). Al-Sorayai is investing significantly into quality-related research and development and adopting new policies to reinforce its quality-driven reputation and strengthen its own presence in the global flooring and carpet markets.
“Quality will be a key competitive element of global expectations recovery within 2010. As the first carpet manufacturing company in the Middle East to obtain ISO 9001:2000 certification, we enjoy a significant advantage in this aspect. We intend to meet the anticipated surge in demand for high-quality carpets once the predicted rally within the international tourism and construction sectors occurs. Among our goals is to become one of the world’s top 10 companies through enhanced technologies and operational standards,” said Al-Sorayai.
Total Quality Management as a concept is fast gaining ground in Saudi Arabia, especially in the operations and policies of its government institutions and private sectors, to keep pace with global changes. Quality is being singled out as an important prerequisite for business success and competitiveness throughout the Kingdom. Al-Sorayai’s quality-based approach to organizational excellence has made it a model of the Saudi vision of sustainable, quality-focused, and diversified growth.
Al-Sorayai Trading and Industrial Group has more than 55 years of extensive experience and expertise in carpet weaving, manufacturing 85 million square metres of carpets annually. It currently accounts for more than half of Saudi Arabia’s total carpet and rug production and exports to more than 65 countries. Around 60 per cent of the company’s output is targeted at the European, US, Australian, Chinese and Middle Eastern markets. Al-Sorayai’s capacity has expanded 20-fold since its inception; it presently handles five large manufacturing facilities adhering to strict global standards and incorporating state-of-the-art technologies.
