Epiroc Turkey&Middle East Team attended to the RAK Quarrying Show. Regional Communications Branding and Marketing Manager Duygu Evrankaya shared her impression about the biggest quarrying show in the region.
Working in machinery industry and providing world-class equipment for mining and construction business for years; I am now a big fan of quarries. For me, and I believe even for most of the non-engineer people, quarries are fascinating places to visit, especially if you’re with people who are trained to keep you safe.
On October 10th, we were on our way to the Kadra Q4 Quarry of Stevin Rock LLC to participate and enjoy fully the RAK Quarrying Show. During the 45 minute drive from Dubai, one can easily realize that Ras Al Khaimah has one of the most varied landscapes in the country; with rocky mountains, orange sandy deserts, green plains, creeks, lagoons and a long, clean stretch of coast. The shining star, Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the country at over 1,900 metres is also located here.
You may imagine; as the world’s largest cement producer, the emirate Ras Al Khaimah is home to the largest rock quarry in the Gulf region courtesy of the Hajar Mountains that begin in the Musandam Peninsula and stretch all the way down to Sur in Oman. This unique geological gift has placed Ras Al Khaimah at the forefront of the non-metal mining industry not only in the UAE, but also in the whole of the GCC.
While on the way to the quarry, I could not help questioning if these mountains of Ras Al Khaimah provided the necessary materials to support the development of mega projects and icons such as Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Khalifa. Later, confirmed with my colleagues from Middle East that it was the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah that supplied the necessary raw materials used for the much-needed cement and building material that has transformed the UAE into what it is today.
Digging in the construction business in Middle East a little, I found out that for over 40 years, Stevin Rock has been an essential link in the supply chain for the construction and development sectors in the Middle East. It is one of largest quarrying companies in the world with a current production capacity from three sites of over 80 million tonnes per year of high quality limestone, dolomite and gabbro for the construction, cement, steel and mining industries. Stevin Rock, together with its sister company, RAK Rock, forms one of the largest quarrying groups in the world, supplying to customers and projects on a global basis. The company is owned by the government of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Consistently producing high-grade limestone, gabbro rock, concrete and asphalt aggregates from three quarries within the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, eventually, Stevin Rock has become one of the key players of the industry and its reputation, synonymous with quality, reliability, innovation and excellence.
Before the event, I was informed that the objective of the RAK Quarrying Show was to showcase the quarrying industry in Ras Al Khaimah through Stevin Rock that uses the best in international standard practice, state of the art equipment and latest technologies.
When we reached the site; with all the details in organization, the safety regulations, the efforts behind; it was underlined once more by the organizing companies, Terrapinn Middle East FZ LLC and Stevin Rock LLC, that the invitees and we, the participants of the show, would have the privilege to be at the first RAK Quarrying Show organised in a world-class operating site in the MENA region.
“The RAK Quarrying Show in partnership with Stevin Rock was a concept that was run for the first time in the United Arab Emirates, and a concept that we are extremely proud to call a success. Months of event planning and consultancy went into the delivery which welcomed over 30 heavy-duty machines and 15 exhibitors. Some of the key pioneers in the industry were present which offered insights into the new technologies and equipment used to make the Ras Al Khaimah quarrying industry the leader it is today.”says Natasha Haberfield-Smith, Event Co-Director, Terrapinn Middle East FZ LLC. “With the key theme of sustainability, Stevin Rock and Terrapinn Middle East FZ LLC also worked in unity to ensure international health and safety standards were met throughout. As a launch event it was met with great attendance from buyers across the Middle East and Africa and we are already looking forward to the 2019 edition.”
As an essential part of this Quarrying Show, Stevin Rock’s key suppliers had the unique opportunity to exhibit their equipment. And we were selected as one of the main brands of choice for Stevin Rock LLC. During the day, there were conferences on different topics. As Epiroc, we were there to talk about the trend topic of recent years-sustainability. Our General Manager was one of the speakers and in his speech, he explained more about Epiroc’s CSR & sustainability approach. After the conferences, at our booth we met our customers and prospects, gave detailed information on the machine – PowerROC- that we displayed at the exhibition area.
“The participants of the event had a chance to learn about what it takes to run an efficient quarry operation, network with key industry stakeholders, experience live equipment and demonstrations, including the latest drone technology and VR simulators, discover the UAE’s largest quarrying machinery ranging from excavators to drill rigs, and crushers.” says Erdem Tüzünalp, General Manager of Epiroc. “As the drill rig supplier of Stevin Rock, we were pleased to be a part of such an inspiring event.”
The organizing company, Terrapinn Middle East FZ LLC deserves a big congrats for the great job done. It was a very well organized event, every detail was taken care of and all safety regulations were on place. However, for me the Oscar goes to Stevin Rock LLC, for being such open minded to be an influencer for the mining industry. After the show, I had a chance to meet Jean-Francois Milian, Exploration Manager and Event Co-Director of the show, he said “ It has been months that we started working on the details of this show. Now I can see that it has created the interest we were aiming for and it is satisfying and for sure promising for the events ahead.”
From his words, I understand -or want to understand- that another quarrying show is on its way in 2019. What do you think? Let’s cross fingers.
